STEM+intercultural: Integrating STEM education with indigenous ancestral knowledge, traditional knowledge, and intercultural contexts. A systematic literature review

Background The public often perceives STEM disciplines as objective and neutral from human and societal factors. However, recent movements in STEM education have increasingly challenged this value-free assumption, advocating for the integration of empathy into STEM education reform. How STEM education leaders view the role of empathy profoundly influences STEM education policy and curriculum design, yet our knowledge of this remains very limited globally. We interviewed 26 STEM education leaders in Hong Kong—comprising university faculty, secondary and primary school science/STEM teachers, and out-of-school STEM education providers. We develop and employ a novel analytical framework of two-fold orientations in STEM education (utilitarian-oriented and humanist-oriented) to interpret our empirical data. Results Thematic analysis revealed that empathy serves dual roles in STEM education: as a “tool” (utilitarian orientation) and as an “aim” (humanist orientation), with leaders referencing the latter twice more frequently. As a tool, participants identified empathy’s utility for (1) capturing student attention and (2) facilitating problem-solving in design activities, with notable consensus across all panel groups regarding its procedural value. As an aim, participants positioned empathy as (1) a fundamental educational value embodied in the creed for education and value-based pedagogy, (2) an essential component in defining STEM’s disciplinary boundaries, and (3) an ultimate goal focused on social service and transformative outcomes. These views vary according to their professional roles—school-based educators strongly emphasized empathy’s role as an educational value and goal, while university faculty and out-of-school STEM education providers expressed concerns about the potential dilution of disciplinary boundaries. Conclusions While leaders demonstrated consensus regarding empathy’s instrumental role in STEM education, notable disagreements emerged concerning its incorporation as an educational aim, particularly regarding disciplinary boundaries. The pattern of responses suggests that leaders’ professional contexts strongly influence their view of empathy’s role in STEM education. Our two-fold orientation framework provides a more nuanced understanding of how leaders position empathy in STEM education, revealing both tensions and synergies and evoking further discussion regarding the defining characteristics of STEM education. A cohesive collective understanding of empathy’s role remains underway, highlighting the need for enhanced professional dialogue among diverse STEM education stakeholders.

Integrated STEM education is increasingly present in classrooms and in educational research, as it is proposed as a possible strategy to improve the problems of students’ lack of interest in scientific–technological disciplines. However, this increased interest in STEM education has been paralleled by a loss of cohesion in the interpretations of its theoretical basis and by an ongoing discussion on integrated STEM education’s foundations, making its understanding, translation into real projects, and evaluation difficult to undertake. Published articles defining a STEM theoretical framework have different descriptions, so the aim of this systematic literature review is to analyse these explanations and compare them with each other. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, 27 articles of interest about STEM and STEAM education were obtained and analysed with a focus on the principles and characteristics described in the texts. After organising the information and analysing the similarities and differences in the principles and characteristics, we concluded that there is great consensus on the principles of “integration”, “real-world problems”, “inquiry”, “design”, and “teamwork”. Nonetheless, this review identifies areas of discussion regarding both the principles and their characteristics that invite further analysis to refine our understanding of what integrated STEM education should entail.

Spatial ability is a powerful systematic source of individual differences in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and technology (STEM). Abundant research has evidenced that psychometrically assessed spatial ability is a strong predictor of STEM achievement. However, its underlying cognitive process and relevant role in STEM education are unknown. From the perspective of cognitive neuroscience, spatial ability is also considered a human intelligence deriving from the cognitive processing of spatial information in the brain. With the help of the cognitive neuroscience paradigm of spatial navigation, in the present work, we investigate the spatial cognitive process among STEM students and its role in STEM education. A total of 172 undergraduates majoring in veterinary science participated in a spatial navigation test. Participants attempted to return a toy to its original place in an arena when given either internal self-motion cues only, external landmark cues only, or both in a spatial navigation task. Modelling analysis of 172 participants’ spatial navigation behaviours showed that all the participants’ spatial cognitive processes featured navigation cue integration. The results of the different tests showed that students with higher levels of navigation cue integration had better academic performance in STEM learning. The results also indicated that, surprisingly, better academic performance in science and mathematics relied more on the use of internal self-motion cues, while better academic performance in engineering and technology relied more on the use of external landmark cues. This study sheds some light on the spatial cognitive process and its role in STEM education from the cognitive neuroscience perspective, thus deepening the functional understanding of spatial ability as a systemic source of individual differences for STEM education, and provides an empirical reference point for interdisciplinary studies on the role of cognition in the context of STEM education. Implications on STEM learning design and STEM teaching were discussed.

Artificial Intelligence in STEM education has gained attention because it has the potential to transform the learning and teaching process. The study aims to systematically analyze the application of AI technology in STEM education, focusing on the impact on student engagement, learning outcomes, and teaching methods. The study used the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method with PRISMA guidance, Articles published in the last ten years, to ensure the selection process on the latest trends. The main findings show that AI-based tools, such as adaptive learning systems, intelligent tutoring systems, and automated assessment platforms, significantly enhance the personalized learning experience and encourage students' critical thinking skills in STEM learning. Challenges such as ethical considerations, data privacy issues, and the digital divide are still issues that need attention. Overall, the study shows that AI has a crucial role in STEM education in the future and recommends a strategic framework to overcome the challenges of AI implementation. The main findings of the article provide a basis for educators, policymakers, and researchers to develop and implement AI-based innovations effectively in STEM education.

<p style="text-align:justify">Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education is regarded as one of the formulas to embracing many of our imminent challenges. STEM education benefits the learners by encouraging interest in STEM disciplines. This daunting task needs everyone’s concerted efforts in creating and innovating mathematics teachers’ classroom practices Therefore, a systematic review was conducted to identify best practices for STEM education following the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) by Moher et al. (2015). The reviewed articles were published from 2016 to 2020 and accessed using the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases. Three themes for best practices were identified namely (a) core competencies encompassing 21st-century teaching skills; (b) instructional designs; and (c) requisite STEM execution. Results of PRISMA determined the dominant STEM practices were critical thinking, communication, collaboration, problem-solving, research-based pedagogy, problem-based learning and project-based learning, technological integration, accessibility, professional development and learning support, evidence of effectiveness, access to materials and practitioner support, and scalability. Mathematics teachers should determine the best STEM practices to employ even though there is a lack of studies on integrated STEM domains. When more students are interested in venturing and exploring into the field of STEM, the high demand for STEM related careers could be met by the younger generation.</p>

The United Nations (UN) has launched several initiatives to promote the role of education in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and set Goal 4 for quality education among other SDGs. The integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) approach is a promising educational framework for sustainable development that improves education quality. In this study, a bibliometric analysis was conducted to evaluate the scientific results of the role of integrated STEM education specifically in improving the quality of education (SDG 4). A hundred and fifty publications, with an increasing trend in the number of documents each year, out of the total number of 74,879 documents related to “education quality” and 5,430 documents related to “STEM education” were chosen from the SCOPUS database. The study analyzes the growth and development of research activities in the area of “STEM education” and “Quality education” as reflected in the publications output in the time span of 27 years from 1993 to 2020. The publication and citation trends, the most frequently used keywords, the most influential authors and journals, and the research hotspots were investigated using VoSviewer and Bibliometrix software. Accordingly, the United States happened to be the most productive country in this field owning two-thirds of the number of publications. The “Science Education” journal is ranked at the top of the highly cited journals. The findings show that topics such as “early childhood education”, “computing education”, and “environmental education” are the main hotspots in the research area of STEM and quality of education. The results of this study will help enhance the understanding of integrated STEM education in improving the quality of education and will support future works in this area.

The integration of local wisdom into science learning is a global pedagogical trend that leads to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 4). Local wisdom serves to make scientific concepts contextual, meaningful, and culturally relevant for students. The challenge of contextual implementation can be addressed through interdisciplinary approaches such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), which serve as a bridge between local wisdom and education. This systematic literature review (SLR) modified with Bibliometric Analysis aims to map the global research landscape on the integration of local wisdom and STEM in formal science education from 2014 to 2024. A total of 155 articles indexed in the Scopus database were analyzed using Bibliometric analysis tools, including VOSviewer, Microsoft Excel, and Datawrapper. The results show an increase in publications post-pandemic, driven by the urgency of advancing SDG 4 and the need for adaptive learning innovation. Geographically, research is concentrated in the United States, Indonesia, and South Africa, with global collaborations indicating this issue as a transnational agenda. An in-depth review of 21 inclusive articles reveals a predominance of qualitative-exploratory approaches. Subject distribution indicates a strong focus on General Science Education, Environment/Ecology, and Biology. Furthermore, research is predominantly focused on higher education and junior high school levels, while high school and elementary school levels remain underrepresented. The study's conclusions highlight the central role of STEM as a bridge in integrating local wisdom.

In recent years, the adoption of service learning (SL) as a pedagogical strategy has gained momentum in higher educational institutions. This study aims to provide a comprehensive literature review on implementing SL in higher education, specifically in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The review processes included the dataset from Scopus and Web of Science. The final study included 20 articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria that were predetermined earlier. The findings of the study reveal the acceptance and use of SL in STEM education. The study looks into the uniqueness of previous STEM education SL frameworks. The benefits of STEM education SL for students are also identified. Lastly, the study highlights emerging issues regarding integrating STEM education and SL. In conclusion, the study provides valuable insights into the implementation of SL in higher education, particularly in STEM fields, by examining frameworks, benefits, and emerging issues in integrating this pedagogical approach.

It is generally appreciated that a strong correlation exists between the economic prosperity of a nation and the provision of quality Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Countries at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation have enviable and robust economies and their citizens lead comfortable and decent lives. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the vast majority of the African continent’s nations and citizens. Africa is a continent besieged with endless challenges that include incessant conflicts, famine and poor access to basic amenities such as clean water and electricity. In addition, Africa lags behind in as far as the provision of quality STEM education is concerned. The main aim of the study is to formulate a STEM model that advances the role indigenous knowledge should play in the teaching and learning of STEM subjects in an African context. To achieve the main aim, this study reviews and considers the role indigenous knowledge plays in the offering of quality STEM education in an African context. The study also interrogates existing STEM models that inherently promote indigenous knowledge. The conceptual analysis technique and literature review from research papers and scientific reports linked to STEM education were mainly used in this research work. The study established that indigenous knowledge plays a significant role in the provision of quality STEM education to African learners, and several ways of incorporating indigenous knowledge in STEM education were suggested. In addition, an integrated STEM model that promotes indigenous knowledge in the African context is proposed.

STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is an educational approach that is now accompanied by the STEAM (STEM + Arts) variant. Both educational approaches seek to renew the scientific literacy of younger generations, and, with the inclusion of the arts, student creativity is described as a key skill that must receive special attention. A review is therefore presented here of empirical STEM and STEAM-based educational interventions so as to determine their potential to develop student creativity. A systematic search of papers over one decade, 2010–2020, found 14 didactic interventions on the Web of Science and Scopus databases for analysis within the review process. The analysis suggested that: (1) the interventions based both on STEM and STEAM have multiple and even contradictory forms, both in theory and in practice; (2) there appears to be a preference among researchers for the Likert-type test to evaluate creativity; and (3) both educational approaches show evidence of positive effects on student creativity. In the light of the principal findings, it was concluded that arguing for the implementation of STEAM education over STEM education, with a view to developing or promoting student creativity, is not in agreement with the evidence from the empirical studies.

South African National Senior Certificate examination reports consistently reflect poor performance in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects when compared to other subjects. This has resulted in a decline in the uptake of STEM subjects because many students perceive them as being difficult to learn. This phenomenon is not unique to South Africa, as many other African and developed countries are facing similar difficulties in terms of student participation in STEM subjects. Reasons for the low uptake of STEM subjects include perceived difficulty, perceived lack of ability, classroom experience of STEM subjects, and lack of enjoyment. Thus, STEM educators across the globe are confronted with the challenge of making the subjects attractive, accessible to, and relevant for students. Humanising the teaching of STEM subjects by building on Indigenous knowledges has been suggested as a way that secondary education could deal with these challenges, and turn them into STEM capabilities. The incorporation of Indigenous and other local knowledges into STEM subjects could promote authentic learning experiences, relevance, and inclusivity if teachers were prepared for this, and appropriate resources made available. In Africa, many children enrol in school while they are concurrently engaged in subsistence economic activities rooted in Indigenous practices. Leveraging the insights gained from these activities could humanise and enhance the relevance of school STEM curricula. Karanga beer brewing is one such activity that we participated in as children and, in this paper, we report our exploration of the science related to Karanga beer brewing and how it can be a way of humanising and promoting the relevance of school science and other STEM subjects.

Statistical studies performed mainly in the U.S. have depicted that students with disabilities (SWDs) are excluded from the educational process and are prone to several gaps and barriers in terms of special accommodations, learning opportunities, and socio-emotional support in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)-Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics (STEAM) education. To clarify this, we conducted a systematic literature review focused on interventions and strategies in STEM and STEAM education for SWDs based on 263 studies retrieved from the databases SCOPUS, Web of Science (WoS), and ERIC from 2013–2024. The studies cover proposals from early childhood to tertiary education. After the screening and appraisal stages, 39 interventions with 21 strategies were identified. The outcomes mostly reveal the following: (1) The studies are mainly focused on the U.S. and in students with autism, learning disabilities, or behavioral disorders between low and medium severity levels. (2) Interventions for autistic students use robotics and coding to foster cognitive, social, and communicative skills. (3) Interventions for deaf or hard-of-hearing students focus on creating a science identity and the issues with non-standardized STEM concepts in American sign language (ASL); in contrast, visually impaired students focus on assistive technologies and the accessibility of educational materials. (4) Little attention has been paid to other disabilities apart from autism, intellectual or learning ones, as well as the perspective of educators to support SWDs in classrooms. And (5) New machine learning, metaverse, and AI models are being used to assess the cognitive-emotional states of the SWDs. The conclusions and insights derived from this study can help educators and researchers to create new methodologies or strategies that sustain SWDs in STEM-STEAM education.

This study draws on AMO framework to explore principals’ perceptions of leadership in STEM education in addition to their role as leaders within their schools. This study addresses the following research question: How do principals influence or promote STEM education? An online survey instrument was administered to 3200 Irish Elementary School Principals. Quantitative findings were analysed via SEM analysis using SPSS and thematic analysis was carried out on the qualitative data using NVivo. The findings showed that overall, transformational leadership is significant on influencing principal commitment to STEM education, principal intention to adopt STEM education, school implementation of STEM education and school participation in STEM-related weeks. Furthermore, important findings emerged in relation to principals’ positive experience and value of STEM education in addition to challenges including time pressures and resources. The research project focusing on the principals’ role in STEM education, makes several significant contributions to education and leadership research as well as to policy and management practices. For education and leadership research, this research extends our understanding of principals as leaders in the education sector.

This study aims to evaluate the current integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curricula at European universities, focusing on its impact on student outcomes such as problem-solving, analytical skills, and job readiness. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a content analysis of 25 STEM curricula with quantitative data from faculty surveys (n = 120) and qualitative insights from student focus groups (n = 50). The study also leveraged recent developments in STEM pedagogy, AI education frameworks, and institutional reporting. The results reveal that although 92% of faculty recognize the importance of AI in STEM education, only 40% feel prepared to teach AI-related content, and just 30% have access to adequate resources. Additionally, only 40% of the analyzed STEM curricula include dedicated AI coursework. Students highlighted the critical role of AI for their future careers but expressed concerns over the limited availability of practical, real-world learning opportunities. The study concludes that despite a broad acknowledgment of AI's significance in STEM, there exists a pronounced gap in faculty preparedness, resource availability, and curriculum integration. These shortcomings may impede the development of the essential skills needed to meet contemporary industry demands. To address these issues, the paper recommends enhancing faculty training programs, making targeted investments in AI infrastructure and technology, and undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of STEM curricula to embed AI-focused courses. Such initiatives are vital to overcoming institutional constraints and unlocking the full transformative potential of AI in STEM education.

Fueling entrepreneurship in STEM: Unveiling trends, educational programs, and their impact