Inclusive STEAM Education

This research aims to discuss the impact of the STEAM curriculum on students with learning disabilities and their learning outcomes and creativity. Teaching for creative thinking is the strategy to deliver a STEAM-structured curriculum and to reach the SDG4 targets. The content is designed in line with project-based learning (PBL), while the micro:bit and paper cutting are used as materials to support it. Methods and Procedures: The single-case research approach (A-B-M) was applied to study three students with special educational needs in primary school. The entire curriculum takes up to 10 weeks with 12 STEAM lessons with activities. The independent variable was the PBL-oriented STEAM curriculum, and the dependent variables were the learning outcomes and TTCT results of pre-tests and post-tests for creativity. There were immediate learning outcomes and retention effects found on the three participants. This paper addresses that the STEAM curriculum had a positive impact on their creativity, which gives affirmative feedback on the curriculum. Conclusion: This PBL-oriented STEAM curriculum under the SDG4 targets gave students with disabilities creativity competency and positive learning outcomes in these case studies. These teaching materials enable teachers to deliver the STEAM curriculum to students with learning disabilities.

Aim/Purpose: This review’s main objective was to examine the existing literature on the use of 3D printers in primary education, covering students aged six to twelve across general, special, and inclusive educational environments. Background: A review of the literature indicated a significant oversight – prior reviews insufficiently distinguish the application of 3D printing in primary education from its utilization at higher educational tiers or focused on particular subject areas and learning domains. Considering the distinct nature and critical role of primary education in developing young students’ cognitive abilities and skills, it is essential to concentrate on this specific educational stage. Methodology: The scoping review was selected as the preferred research method. The methodological robustness was augmented through the utilization of the backward snowballing technique. Consequently, a total of 50 papers were identified and subjected to thorough analysis. Contribution: This review has methodically compiled and analyzed the literature on 3D printing use among elementary students, offering a substantial addition to academic conversations. It consolidated and organized research on 3D printers’ educational uses, applying robust and credible criteria. Findings: Many studies featured small sample sizes and limited research on inclusive and special education. The analysis revealed 82 distinct research goals and 13 educational fields, with STEM being the predominant focus. Scholars showed considerable interest in how 3D printers influence skills like creativity and problem-solving, as well as emotions such as engagement and motivation. The majority of studies indicated positive outcomes, enhancing academic achievement, engagement, collaboration, creativity, interest, and motivation. Nonetheless, challenges were noted, highlighting the necessity for teacher training, the expense of equipment, technical difficulties, and the complexities of blending new methods with traditional curricula. Recommendations for Practitioners: To capitalize on the benefits that 3D printers bring, curriculum planners are urged to weave them into their programs, ensuring alignment with educational standards and skill development. The critical role educators play in the effective implementation of this technology necessitates targeted professional development programs to equip them with the expertise for successful integration. Moreover, 3D printing presents a unique opportunity to advance inclusive education for students with disabilities, offering tailored learning experiences and aiding in creating assistive technologies. In recognizing the disparities in access to 3D printing, educational leaders must address the financial and logistical barriers highlighted in the literature. Strategic initiatives are essential to democratize 3D printing access, ensuring all students benefit from this educational tool. Recommendations for Researchers: Comparative studies are critical to elucidate the specific advantages and limitations of 3D printing technology due to the scarcity of research contrasting it with other tools. The variability in reporting durations of interventions and re-search environments underscores the necessity for uniform methodologies and benchmarks. Because research has predominantly focused on STEM/STEAM education, expanding into different educational areas could provide a comprehensive understanding of 3D printing’s capabilities. The existence of neutral and negative findings signals an opportunity for further investigation. Exploring the factors that impede the successful integration of 3D printing will inform the creation of superior pedagogical approaches and technological refinements. Future Research: As the review confirmed the significant promise of 3D printing technology in enriching education, especially in the context of primary education, the imperative for continued research to refine its application in primary education settings is highlighted.

This research addresses the problem of how to tackle STEM education and its transformation into STEAM education in an inclusive school. It highlights the need for communication competence in collaborative teaching supported by problem-based (PBL), project-based (PrBL) and game-based (GBL) learning. At the same time, it is necessary to highlight the importance of arts in all the listed innovative forms of learning and teaching, as teamwork and cooperation between the members of these teams are extremely important. The key competence of this participation in the mentioned forms of knowledge is communication competence, which is manifested in students’ self-confidence/lack of self-confidence, in their level of well-being, collaboration, motivation, their active role and awareness. The empirical research was conducted on a sample of eleven classes from six Slovenian-inclusive schools, with at least one student with SEN in each class. The research focused on the differences between students with and without SEN regarding their perception of STEAM lessons supported by gamification elements. The results showed that using innovative teaching methods can connect and positively affect STEAM, which, with the help of technology, engineering and art, consequently, improves a deeper understanding of the field of Science and Mathematics (S-tea-M). Field: Inclusive STEAM Education

The aim of this research is to examine the effect of STEAM (STEM + Arts) education, which is an interdisciplinary approach that has been frequently used in developed countries in recent years, on the science course learning outcomes of students with specific learning disabilities. The model of the research was structured as a mixed design and was realized with an explanatory sequential design. In this context, the research took place in two separate interactive stages. In the first stage, a quantitative method was applied. In this section, a one-group pretest–posttest pre-experimental model was used. The research was carried out with 4 students who were studying in a state primary school in a province in the Southern Region of Anatolia and who were diagnosed with specific learning disabilities. As data collection tools, an academic achievement test and STEAM process rubric were used. Means and standard deviations were used in the analysis of the data collected from the pretest, posttest, persistence test and rubrics. In the qualitative section of the study, interviews were conducted with the participants in order to evaluate STEAM education in the light of the quantitative stage, and diaries were kept for the participants in the context of a more in-depth and objective examination of the process. The data collected by qualitative data tools were subjected to content analysis and direct quotations were made from the opinions and diaries of the participants. As a result of the research, it was determined that the quantitative findings overlapped with the qualitative findings. It was observed that the STEAM activities increased the academic success of the participants, that their motivation was high, and that they were curious and eager for the activities. In addition, it was revealed that they made an effort to use the knowledge and experience they had gained from the STEAM activities in other courses.

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.

The water station in The Pond Room had always been a popular option especially since in this region the summer heat is extremely intense. The Master Teacher noticed that Zach, a 3-year-old with special needs and an IEP from the local school district, returned to the water station over and over again and was very focused on his activities. His obsession with water also drew other children in the play. After observing the children play freely with water for two weeks, the teacher decided to expand this water play into a series of developmentally appropriate, meaningful investigations about water. She felt that this water project was a great opportunity for preschoolers with and without disabilities to construct STEAM concepts and skills which will prepare them for more complex and abstract STEAM concepts in later schooling. With the goals of developing students’ knowledge and positive attitudes toward STEAM and promoting their STEAM-related questioning and problem-solving skills, the master teacher began the inquiry and embarked on a water project in her classroom.