Codesigning Learning for the Future: Participatory Development of a Student Laboratory to Promote Transversal Skills

Transversal skills like communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and decision-making are essential for students’ academic, personal, and professional development. Despite their relevance, these skills are insufficiently addressed in everyday school teaching. The present study explores how non-formal student laboratories can support the development of transversal skills through student-centered teaching methods. Using Participatory Action Research, a learning environment on food chemistry is developed and implemented in two iterative cycles with 369 students from upper secondary schools in Munich. A questionnaire including the categories situational interest, teamwork, active participation, inquiry-based learning, and decision-making is used to investigate the fostering of various transversal skills. The first cycle shows the strong potential of this learning environment in fostering skills such as teamwork and communication, but also identifies areas for improvement, particularly in inquiry-based learning and decision-making. Through revisions based on student feedback, the second cycle features improved materials and contextualization, a structured decision-making framework, and enhanced support offers. Collected data over two iterative cycles shows measurable improvements across all categories. The results show the potential of a well-structured learning environment with relevant contexts and differentiated scaffolding to foster students’ transversal skills in a non-formal setting. Furthermore, the results suggest that student laboratories can act as a complement to formal science education and to support students in developing skills necessary for responsible citizenship and lifelong learning.