Abstract:

This article presents a vertically structured STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education programme that introduces students to the physics of sound and the fundamentals of aeroacoustics from the final years of primary school through secondary education. The approach combines CLIL-based (Content and Language Integrated Learning) instruction, project-based learning, and hands-on experimentation to build a continuous conceptual progression. In primary education, pupils explore vibrations, sound propagation, loudness, and simple spectral patterns using everyday materials and smartphone applications. These activities cultivate early scientific reasoning, support the development of technical vocabulary, and frame noise—particularly aircraft noise—as a real technological and environmental problem.

In secondary education, the programme advances toward quantitative analysis and engineering interpretation. Students investigate acoustic directivity, geometric spreading, material absorption, impedance mismatch, and the physical origin of engine noise sources. Using smartphones, small speakers, and low-cost experimental setups, they collect and model real data, connecting classroom physics to genuine aerospace engineering challenges.

The novelty of this work lies in its coherent cross-stage learning progression, its interdisciplinary integration of physics, engineering, computing, and environmental science, and its accessibility: complex aeroacoustic phenomena are made experimentally approachable with minimal resources. The programme demonstrates that rigorous STEM practices—data analysis, modelling, experimental design, and interpretation—can be meaningfully introduced throughout compulsory education. By linking early sensory exploration with later analytical reasoning, it offers a scalable framework for strengthening STEM literacy, motivating students, and fostering pathways toward scientific and engineering careers.

Keywords:

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), CLIC (Content and Language Integrated Learning), aeroacoustics.