Implementation of 5Cs in the Classroom Practices of Trained Science Teachers to Maintain Quality of STEAM Education: A Study of Schools of Sindh Education Foundation of Larkana Division

Abstract

The 21st-century education discourse increasingly emphasizes competency-based learning frameworks, with the 5Cs, comprising critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and citizenship, identified as foundational skills for preparing learners capable of addressing complex real-world challenges. While STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education has been recognized globally as an effective vehicle for developing these competencies, empirical evidence on their implementation in classroom practice, particularly in under-resourced and rural contexts in Pakistan, remains scarce. This study examined the extent to which trained science teachers in STEAM-based schools of Larkana Division, Sindh, successfully apply the 5Cs in their classroom practices, and identified which competencies are most dominant in their instructional behavior. A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional design was employed, with data collected from 100 purposively sampled trained science teachers using a structured, expert-validated, Likert-scale questionnaire. Data were analyzed through descriptive statistics including means, standard deviations, and competency rankings. Findings revealed that all five competencies were implemented at a high level, with each recording a mean score above 4.00 on a five-point scale. Citizenship (M = 4.0677) emerged as the most dominant competency, followed by collaboration (M = 4.0578), critical thinking (M = 4.0244), creativity (M = 4.0114), and communication (M = 4.0016). The findings suggest that STEAM-based professional training has meaningfully translated into classroom practices that reflect all five competencies, with teachers demonstrating stronger instructional capacity in the social, ethical, and analytical dimensions of the 5Cs than in the creative and communicative dimensions. The study concludes with implications for teacher professional development, curriculum design, and education policy in Sindh, and recommends longitudinal and qualitative follow-up research to deepen understanding of 5Cs implementation in under-resourced educational contexts.