The roles of S-T-E-A-M disciplines in STEAM education – systematic literature review of intervention studies

Abstract

STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics) has gained popularity from Early Childhood Education to Higher Education, particularly in technology, design and science contexts. It is not a unified theory but more of an approach to education that builds on different pedagogies and disciplines. Through a framework and analytical lens of disciplinary visibility and instrumentalisation of education, this study aims to capture and understand the roles of each S-T-E-A-M discipline and non-disciplinarity across them in school education. To map how the disciplines function within school‑based interventions that explicitly identify themselves as STEAM education (grades 1–12), the research was conducted through a PRISMA‑guided systematic literature review. The inductive content analysis was used to classify the role of each discipline in the included 45 peer‑reviewed articles (2015–2024). The findings show that S-T-E-A-M disciplines are not only the object and content of learning but play a role in combining knowledge, methods and processes. In most interventions some of the disciplines played only very limited or no role. Based on the review findings, STEAM approach in education is understood and implemented in a range of ways. Acknowledging the importance of integrated approaches as STEAM, the study emphasises how understanding and valuing the role of each S-T-E-A-M discipline in the pedagogy can foster more holistic curricula equipping students with competencies they need now and in their future.