This research is motivated by the limited digital learning platforms capable of integrating various forms of representation to support STEAM-based in-depth learning, particularly in physics subjects that require high conceptual understanding. To address this need, this study aims to describe the feasibility of the Digital Multiple Representation Platform (DMRP) as an innovative learning medium designed to facilitate conceptual understanding and encourage interdisciplinary integration in the STEAM context. This research method uses a Research and Development (R&D) design based on the DDDE (Decide, Design, Develop, and Evaluation) model to systematically guide the platform creation and validation process. Data were collected using an expert validation questionnaire covering aspects of content feasibility, pedagogy, interface appearance, interactivity, and technical aspects. Validation was carried out by learning media experts and physics material experts to assess the quality and suitability of the platform for instructional purposes. In addition to quantitative data, the study also involved qualitative feedback from educators and students through open-ended interviews to obtain an in-depth overview of the platform's practicality and acceptability. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive techniques to calculate a feasibility score, while qualitative data were analyzed to identify suggestions for improvement and aspects that support the platform's effectiveness. The results of the study show that the DMRP achieved an average media validation score of 80% and a content validation score of 79%, both of which are categorized as very feasible to be implemented in learning. The conclusion of this study shows that integrating various representations in a digital environment can effectively improve conceptual understanding, creativity, and student engagement in STEAM-oriented physics education. Overall, the developed DMRP offers a pedagogically grounded model to support deep learning and interdisciplinary thinking, which contributes to the development of digital innovation in STEAM education.

This research is motivated by the limited digital learning platforms capable of integrating various forms of representation to support STEAM-based in-depth learning, particularly in physics subjects that require high conceptual understanding. To address this need, this study aims to describe the feasibility of the Digital Multiple Representation Platform (DMRP) as an innovative learning medium designed to facilitate conceptual understanding and encourage interdisciplinary integration in the STEAM context. This research method uses a Research and Development (R&D) design based on the DDDE (Decide, Design, Develop, and Evaluation) model to systematically guide the platform creation and validation process. Data were collected using an expert validation questionnaire covering aspects of content feasibility, pedagogy, interface appearance, interactivity, and technical aspects. Validation was carried out by learning media experts and physics material experts to assess the quality and suitability of the platform for instructional purposes. In addition to quantitative data, the study also involved qualitative feedback from educators and students through open-ended interviews to obtain an in-depth overview of the platform's practicality and acceptability. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive techniques to calculate a feasibility score, while qualitative data were analyzed to identify suggestions for improvement and aspects that support the platform's effectiveness. The results of the study show that the DMRP achieved an average media validation score of 80% and a content validation score of 79%, both of which are categorized as very feasible to be implemented in learning. The conclusion of this study shows that integrating various representations in a digital environment can effectively improve conceptual understanding, creativity, and student engagement in STEAM-oriented physics education. Overall, the developed DMRP offers a pedagogically grounded model to support deep learning and interdisciplinary thinking, which contributes to the development of digital innovation in STEAM education.

ABSTRACT This study demonstrates the application of the Utilising Crises-related Issues (UCIs) model to facilitate Transdisciplinary Outdoor STEAM learning. Originally developed to support outdoor learning in contexts with limited access to digital tools such as MathCity Map, the model was tested in a Business Communication Skills course for first-year students at one of the colleges in Tanzania. Using convenient sampling, data were collected through document analysis of 10 student-submitted video clips and 30 reflective journals. Thematic analysis revealed that the UCIs model enhanced students’ communication skills, transdisciplinary thinking, problem-solving abilities, and awareness of Sustainable Development Issues (SDIs). However, time management was reported as a challenge. The findings suggest that the UCIs model is a pedagogical approach that fosters Education for Sustainable Development in low-resource settings. Educators are encouraged to explore its use further, and future research should expand on these findings to provide broader and more diversified evidence of its impact.

Empowering Mozambican educators: Overcoming technological challenges to implement STEAM education

A framework for effective STEAM education: Pedagogy for responding to wicked problems

STEAM education in early childhood represents a paradigm shift that goes beyond the traditional transmission of knowledge, directing the educational process toward the integrated development of the child as an active agent of their own learning. This article examines the pedagogical foundations of the STEAM approach in preschool education and highlights the way in which they can become a catalyst for the professional development of future early childhood educators. Grounded in socio-constructivism (Vygotsky), experiential learning (Kolb), and project-based pedagogy (Kilpatrick), STEAM education emerges as a transdisciplinary learning framework that fosters exploration, investigation, and guided reflection. The second part of the article emphasizes the role of students’ active participation in STEAM-based projects and workshops as a strategy for developing 21st-century pedagogical competences critical thinking, creativity, adaptability, intelligent use of technology, and inclusive pedagogical practices. Through examples from a university workshop, the article illustrates how initial teacher training can evolve into a reflective and application-oriented process in which the student transitions from the role of passive recipient to that of designer of educational experiences. The conclusions suggest that STEAM education has the potential to shape a new professional profile of the educator innovative, reflective, and capable of mediating complex learning within a constantly changing world.

The traditional teaching methods are difficult to conform to students’ ways of thinking and hard to meet teachers’ teaching demands. This work studies the teaching philosophy of Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM), a practice-oriented interdisciplinary education concept. This work focuses on the psychology of high school students’ English learning, emphasizing their learning interests and English evaluation criteria. It also introduces the STEAM education concept through task planning projects. In addition, the n-gram English learning evaluation model is integrated with the STEAM education concept. The proposed model cultivates senior high school students’ innovative thinking and comprehensive innovation ability. The analysis indicates that students’ innovative thinking has been enhanced across five aspects: flexibility, independence, openness, sophistication, and critical thinking. Moreover, their innovation ability is promoted through independent planning, novel method design, rich content, and comprehensive innovation. Therefore, the proposed STEAM model can provide students with a way of thinking in innovative education.

Integrated science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (i-STEAM) education has been recognized for its potential to promote interdisciplinary learning and connect scientific knowledge to socially relevant contexts. However, its implementation in school practices remains limited, often owing to conceptual ambiguities and a lack of sustained support for teachers. This study examines the role of participation in a community of practice (CoP) in facilitating the adoption of i-STEAM principles by public school teachers through collaborative lesson planning. Drawing on meeting transcripts, documents produced during the process, and interviews with participants, the analysis focused on the constitution of the CoP, the presence of i-STEAM elements in the teaching proposals, and the level of integration achieved. The results suggest that the CoP supported the development of more coherent and context-sensitive understandings of i-STEAM, while also promoting interdisciplinary design across diverse educational levels. These findings may also inform initiatives in other public education systems facing similar structural conditions, such as limited resources, disciplinary fragmentation, and restricted opportunities for collaborative curriculum development. The study highlights the value of CoPs as professional learning strategies and proposes a replicable analytical approach for evaluating how teachers engage with integrative pedagogies. Implications for teacher education and policy are discussed.

This paper presents the development of an Impact Framework for STEAM education created as part of a project to support systemic, evidence-based reform. The framework was derived from an extensive synthesis of data collected through policy mapping, national and European strategy reviews, comparative case studies, and three stakeholder consultations with educators, industry representatives, and policymakers. The analysis used thematic synthesis, root cause analysis, and impact mapping to link the identified challenges with their causes, proposed actions, and measurable indicators. The resulting framework is organised into four interconnected domains: Policy and Governance, Institutional Conditions and Infrastructure, Educator Competence and Resources, and Collaboration Ecosystem, each linked to specific stakeholders, proposed solutions, and anticipated benefits. By consolidating diverse evidence into a coherent logic chain, the framework provides a practical and adaptable tool for guiding reforms that strengthen the coherence, inclusivity, and sustainability of STEAM education across various contexts.

This study presents a professional development (PD) program designed within the “SciArt—Promoting 21st-century skills through an inclusive STEAM approach to Cultural Heritage” project, which aims to prepare teachers to implement an inclusive, inquiry-based STEAM approach in their classrooms. The approach, developed collaboratively by academics from the arts, sciences, and cultural sectors across Cyprus, Greece, and Portugal, integrates archaeometric methods with cultural heritage to support identity exploration and inclusive pedagogy. The study explores how participating teachers evaluated the PD program, how it influenced their self-efficacy in applying inclusive, inquiry-based STEAM approaches, and how teacher trainers experienced its implementation across different national contexts. The study utilizes both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection, comprising questionnaires and a focus group. Results show high teacher satisfaction and increased self-efficacy across four thematic areas: inquiry-based learning, science-heritage integration, cultural identity exploration, and use of multimodality for inclusion. Teacher trainers described the process as demanding but professionally enriching, emphasizing the role of interdisciplinary collaboration. These findings highlight the potential of well-supported, theoretically grounded PD programs to build capacity for inclusive STEAM education, while also revealing structural barriers that must be addressed for wider implementation.

Is it possible to increase interest in learning more about nuclear science among young women through science fiction? How can the interactive elements of social media advance #STEMINISM? Inspiring greater interest in radiation as an educational topic is important to recruiting the future generation of scientists and is crucial to the ability of Canada and other countries to deploy new nuclear power as part of the low carbon energy mix. This article explores how science fiction and social media could help address gender divides in scientific understanding of radiation and encourage more women and young people to pursue nuclear energy careers. While nuclear power can provide stable and clean electricity to replace fossil fuels, learning about nuclear science may be dismissed by today’s youth as “too boring” to reliably grow the workforce to meet future demands. Gender divides in scientific understanding of radiation include the tendency for more males than females to be employed in the nuclear sector, which reaches back to a more general trend in which females are underrepresented among STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) graduates. Even fictional depictions of radiation tend to be geared toward audiences or interests that are (at least historically) more identified as “for boys” than “for girls.” Science fiction storytelling provides a promising method of engagement to increase interest in nuclear science and possibly inspire more passion in STEM-oriented career paths among youth; however, strategies for overcoming the gender-biased limitations of the science fiction genre must be developed. This paper explores how science fiction and the social media platform Instagram can be combined to spark interest in nuclear energy as a climate change solution among women and young people. Atomic Eve is a science fiction Instagram superhero whose mission on Earth includes helping to solve the climate change crisis by increasing interest in learning more about nuclear energy. This article presents Atomic Eve as a creative experiment in how STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) could help innovate thinking around the role of public engagement in inspiring more women and younger people to pursue careers in the nuclear energy sector.

In this review, the impacts of Skill-Based Education (SBE) and STEAM-oriented education on today's education to an innovation-oriented world economy are discussed. Based on the recent literature, policy documents, and case studies in the region, the paper puts forth how these models focus on interdisciplinary, experiential, and student-focused approaches to learning. SBE attempts to bridge the gap in teaching at school and working at the workplace, and STEAM incorporates Art into the already existing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics combination with the idea of enhancing innovativeness and critical thinking. It has been seen that although these methods enhance the engagement of different learners, teamwork and finding solutions to problems, they are hindered by the outdated curricula, lack of proper teacher training and resources; predominantly in Pakistan and other South Asian nations. The review also emphasizes that reform can only work through teacher professional development, equitable resource distribution, and the use of new technologies. Looking at different models regionally, notably India’s National Education Policy 2020, shows how effective policy integration and collaboration across sectors can improve outcomes. In sum, the paper argues that the challenges of the 21st century necessities transformative SBE and STEAM education, which demands ongoing innovation in curriculum and pedagogy, educator training, and policies that include all learners.

In early childhood education, it is increasingly recognized that traditional, textbook-cantered pedagogies are insufficient for developing the skills required in a rapidly evolving, technology-driven world. The integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) provides an innovative framework that bridges conceptual understanding with real-world application. This shift from rote memorization to inquiry-based, problem-oriented learning encourages children to think critically, solve complex problems, and engage creatively with their environment. This study explores the integration of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) within the STEAM framework to enhance inquiry, creativity, and reflective practice among early childhood educators. Grounded in constructivist and experiential learning theories, this research adopts a quantitative research design. Through Purposive sampling technique sample of 120 early childhood teachers from public and private institutions of Islamabad were selected. Data were collected using surveys through closed ended questions a five-point Likert scale. Validity and reliability of research instrument were checked, pilot testing was carried out before actual implementation of research instrument. Findings of the study revealed that PBL- based STEAM instruction significantly improved teachers’ pedagogical confidence and promoted higher levels of student engagement, collaboration, and critical inquiry. The study concludes that PBL-STEAM integration can transform early learning environments by empowering educators to move beyond traditional textbook instruction.

The emergence of STEAM education, which integrates the Arts into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), reflects a growing recognition of the need to develop both technical proficiency and creative capacity in learners. This shift emphasizes the importance of preparing students to tackle complex, real-world problems through innovative and interdisciplinary thinking. Drawing on an integrative review of 108 scholarly articles, from Scopus, ERIC, and Web of Science, we included peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2024; this paper traces the conceptual evolution of STEAM education and examines its pedagogical implications for the psychomotor domain. It critically explores how incorporating the Arts reshapes traditional understandings of skill acquisition by highlighting hands-on, embodied, and creative approaches to problem-solving. The article, therefore, explores the concept of psycho-productive competency to capture the interplay between psychomotor skills and cognitive–emotional dimensions of learning. Findings underscore the need for teaching strategies and learning environments that move beyond technical demonstration to foster creativity, innovation, and holistic development. This re-examination of the psychomotor domain positions educational practice in line with the demands of a rapidly changing, knowledge-driven world.

ABSTRACT This study examined how integrating virtual reality (VR) with project-based learning (PBL) and the Cognitive-Affective Interaction Model (CAIM) influences Grade 9 students' STEAM learning. Over 10 weeks, 141 students completed a “Make an Electric Boat” project in a quasi-experimental design. The Experimental Group (EG; n = 81) used the zSpace All-in-One system alongside PBL+CAIM, while the Control Group (CG; n = 60) applied the same strategies without VR. Students' learning and creative behaviors were videotaped, and outcomes were analyzed using ANCOVA. Results showed that EG students outperformed CG peers in STEAM knowledge, creativity, and hands-on skills. EG students effectively transferred VR-inspired ideas to their final products, producing more sophisticated and complete designs. The immersive visualization afforded by zSpace deepened conceptual understanding and supported advanced problem solving. Overall, PBL and CAIM benefited both groups, but adding VR yielded significant additional gains. These findings highlight the value of VR as a catalyst for richer learning experiences and higher levels of creativity and knowledge application in STEAM education.

This article derives from the author’s Master’s thesis conducted within the postgraduate program Digital Culture, Smart Cities, IoT and Advanced Digital Technologies at the University of Piraeus, yet it extends beyond a mere presentation of the thesis to situate its findings within the broader context of rapidly evolving educational technologies. The study proposes an innovative instructional approach that integrates artificial intelligence (AI)-generated images into the teaching of Modern Greek literature, with a focus on poetry in the second year of senior high school. Its primary objective is to provide an alternative mode of interpreting literary texts that complements traditional instruction, fostering deeper comprehension, engagement, creativity, and inspiration among students. By visualizing the abstract concepts, words, and verses of poems through AI-generated images, learners are encouraged to connect with literary meaning on both cognitive and affective levels. Crucially, the approach seeks not only to align images with the poems but also to surpass conventional textbook illustrations by initiating a dialogic relationship with the texts and enhancing interpretive depth. Within the proposed scenario, students develop critical thinking, imagination, creativity, and collaborative skills as they create and discuss their own AI-generated images, thereby participating in a process consistent with STEAM education that integrates science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. The study also acknowledges limitations, including technical challenges, the absence of classroom-based pilot implementation, and the lack of empirical evaluation with student samples. Future directions emphasize refining and expanding the approach in light of the rapid advancement of AI tools, which offer new opportunities for innovative and evidence-based pedagogical applications.

This paper presents first results from an European Erasmus+ project that integrates ecological Making with interdisciplinary, CLIL-based STEAM education to address eco-anxiety and empower students to participate in negotiating livable futures for all. Drawing on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), Maker Education, and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), the project fosters transformative, intercultural learning environments. Using Mobile Maker Boxes (MMBs), students and teachers engage in hands-on problem-solving around sustainability challenges. This paper outlines the project's aims, theoretical framework, methodology, and early insights from an international co-design workshop involving teachers and researchers from five countries. The findings suggest that interdisciplinary, collaborative making—whether physical, digital, or conceptual—enhances student agency, emotional engagement, foreign language and intercultural competence, and Futures Literacy. A Design-Based Research (DBR) methodology supports iterative development, preparing the project for classroom implementation.

The Bulgarian education system has been under intense public scrutiny and been “enjoying” special attention from society since the fall of socialism in 1989. Several reforms have been implemented and continue to be made. Bulgarian education is being modernized gradually and purposefully. This is evident not only from the conditions in which the modern teacher works, but also from the new curricula that aim to equip Bulgarian students competent and ready for tomorrow. However, are these “new and innovative” ideas, or are they merely recycled and rebranded versions of past concepts? Are they being refined and expanded upon, or simply repackaged under a modern “educational facades of pseudo-innovations”? This article examines the essence of polytechnic education and traces the development of this concept to modern models of project-based learning, dual training, and STEAM education. The hypothesis is made that Bulgarian vocational education has always built upon the idea of the connection between theory and practice, and if, during the socialist system, the idea of polytechnicism linked education with production, now dual training is what provides personnel for various spheres of the economy, and in STEAM education, we rediscover the core principles of this long-standing idea.

This research explores how we can help students develop systems thinking through SDGs-focused interdisciplinary STEAM education. We studied three schools using both quantitative and qualitative methods, working with 180 students aged 15-17 and 24 teachers over a complete school year. We used pre-and-post tests, observed classes, and conducted interviews to see what students learned and how teachers implemented programs. What we discovered was quite remarkable - there's a significant disparity in how schools approach different SDGs. Environmental topics receive far more attention than social issues. Climate action appeared in 89% of the programs we examined, but reducing inequalities only showed up in 34% of classes. When we analyzed what actually works, we found that combining design thinking with community projects produces the best student outcomes. Service learning generated the highest student engagement - 93% participation. Computer modeling proved excellent for helping students identify feedback patterns, while design thinking performed well across various areas of systems thinking. Our study provides educators with a robust framework that links sustainability goals with how children develop thinking skills - something that's been absent in education theory. What we discovered can help curriculum designers and schools develop SDGs-based programs that genuinely teach students the systems thinking they'll need to address today's complex global sustainability challenges.

As STEAM education gains momentum worldwide, there remains a lack of empirical studies examining how gender influences students’ engagement in function art. Addressing this gap is essential for developing inclusive and evidence-based pedagogical strategies that promote equity and innovation in STEAM learning. This study investigates gender differences in mathematical fluency and flexibility in function art. By integrating Technology, Art, and Mathematics, the research explores how gender and age influence students’ use of mathematical functions in their artwork. Participants were 235 junior and senior high school students from four schools in the Philippines. A rubric based on the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking evaluated their artwork, and Rasch analysis was used to examine gender-based differences, including Differential Item Functioning (DIF). The study reveals that females exhibit slightly higher levels of fluency and flexibility than males in creating function art. However, no significant gender or school-level differences were found based on t-tests. DIF analysis using Rasch confirmed that females have a mean score of 0.09 logits higher than males, with no significant bias by gender. This study highlights the potential of integrating art into STEM education to reduce gender gaps and promote inclusivity in STEAM learning..