How does the development of STEM products in the learning process affect the development of students’ applied-oriented skills?

In the modern education system, developing learners’ ability to apply theoretical knowledge in practice has become one of the key priorities. In this regard, STEM technologies provide opportunities to teach physics in a practice-oriented format, serving as an effective tool for fostering engineering thinking, research skills, and applied orientation. The use of STEM products not only revitalizes laboratory activities but also expands learners’ competencies in solving real-life problems. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of using STEM products in physics lessons on the development of learners’ applied orientation skills. The research was conducted at Secondary School No. 32 with the participation of 120 students (60 in the experimental group and 60 in the control group). The experimental group completed hands-on tasks using STEM tools, while the control group followed traditional instructional methods. The study employed surveys, observational–experimental methods, an independent samples t -test, Pearson correlation analysis, Cronbach’s alpha reliability analysis, and meta-analysis. Quantitative data were processed using SPSS and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 4.0 software. The results demonstrated that the integration of STEM products significantly enhanced learners’ applied skills. The meta-analysis revealed that STEM-based interventions had a substantial positive impact on the development of applied orientation in physics education (Cohen’s d = 2.56, p = 0.0001). It should be noted that this value represents the pooled effect obtained from the meta-analysis of published studies, whereas the larger effect sizes reported for the experimental comparison in the present study ( d = 2.65–6.30) reflect the magnitude of the intervention within the current sample. All indicators of the experimental group were statistically higher than those of the control group ( p 0.05). Correlation analysis confirmed strong interrelationships among the four indicators, while Cronbach’s alpha coefficients (0.84–0.90) indicated high internal consistency of the measurement tools. Overall, STEM products were found to be an effective pedagogical tool for developing learners’ ability to apply theoretical knowledge in practice, enhancing engineering thinking, research activity, and practical competencies. The findings show that the use of STEM products effectively improves learners’ practical engagement, engineering thinking, data-handling skills, and their ability to apply knowledge in real-life situations.