Abstract
In the context of global technological transformation and the implementation of technological modernization strategies in Kazakhstan, the development of design and technical thinking (DTT) in primary school students becomes a critically important task. The aim of this study was to develop and test a pedagogical model based on an interdisciplinary STEAM approach (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) and adapted to the specifics of the Kazakhstani education system. The model was developed through a theoretical synthesis of current research in STEAM education and psychological–pedagogical theories and comprises four interrelated stages: Motivational–Orientation, Project–Research, Experimentation–Analysis, and Reflective–Presentation. A school-based approbation in Shymkent (172 learners in Grades 1–4; 4 teachers) employed classroom observation, class-embedded diagnostic tasks, and brief self-reports to monitor feasibility and acceptability. Aggregated monitoring indicated 20–30% gains on indicators of independent problem formulation and stepwise solution planning; the share of learners at the “high” level rose from 26% to 43% for algorithmic (procedural) thinking and from 18% to 36% for divergent thinking. These findings are feasibility signals rather than causal estimates, suggesting practical implementability under routine conditions and motivating a subsequent controlled evaluation and scaling across diverse educational contexts in Kazakhstan.