Abstract
Nowadays, STEM education plays an essential role in the economic growth and competitiveness of nations. This systematic review was aimed to reveal research trends in STEM education over the last 10 years. A total of 336 studies published in the Journal of Science Education and Technology, Research in Science Education, Journal of Science Teacher Education, International Journal of Science Education, Journal of Research in Science Teaching, and Science Education were selected for analysis. The time span was limited to the period between 2011 to late 2020. All sample papers were then examined to capture the latest research trends and status regarding STEM education that included the number of papers by year, research types, countries’ rank, and the number of authors. To collect data, the formula proposed by Howard et al. [1] was employed to determine the most productive countries in terms of STEM education scholarships. Findings revealed that STEM education has garnered greater attention and it grew rapidly within this period. The most frequent research type used in STEM education were quantitative studies. In addition, the US, Australia, and the Netherlands were the most productive countries in STEM education research. During these ten years, most papers published in selected journals were written by three authors. This indicates that STEM education is an attractive topic to explore collaboratively by researchers and educators around the world.
Highlights
In the 1990s, the National Science Foundation (NSF) integrated the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics to form the acronym STEM [2], an interdisciplinary approach originally unified using the term SMET (Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology) and introduced in the United States
According to Moore et al [3], STEM education refers to how teachers combine some or all of the four disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics based on the relationship between subjects and real-world issues
Johnson [4] revealed that STEM is “an instructional approach, which integrates the teaching of science and mathematics disciplines through the infusion of the practices of scientific inquiry, technological and engineering design, mathematical analysis, and 21st century interdisciplinary themes and skills” (p. 367)
Summary
In the 1990s, the National Science Foundation (NSF) integrated the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics to form the acronym STEM [2], an interdisciplinary approach originally unified using the term SMET (Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology) and introduced in the United States. Martin-Paez et al [5] argued that “STEM teaching must be based on the standards of STEM curricula, creating experiences for students that allow them to develop STEM proficiency. These experiences should include participation in research, logical reasoning, and problem-solving” Despite some conceptualizations that exist, STEM education is generally seen as a classroom teaching approach that combines STEM disciplines. This interdisciplinary approach is used to develop students as competent problem solvers and to improve learning activities [6–7]. STEM education aims to find solutions to real-world problems as well as to provide students with more relevant experiences and prepare them for future career paths
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