Indian Journal of Science and Technology

Abstract

Background/Objectives: In this study, the trends in research of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) education with programming were systematically analyzed. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Theses were collected from Research Information Sharing Service in order to analyze the trends. The keywords used in this process were “STEAM education” and “convergence education”. The collected theses were analyzed by the following standards: the year of publication; the method, design and subject of research; programming language; and physical computing device used. The results from the analysis were compared with the general trend of research in STEAM education. Findings: Upon analysis, research on general STEAM education has increased since 2010; however, STEAM education with programming accounts for less than ten percent of that research. In terms of the methods utilized, more than fifty percent used development/ application research. The research on STEAM education with programming used qualitative and mixed research more than the general variety, which yielded different results than were compiled with general research on regular STEAM education. The majority of the focus of the general research in STEAM education was on literature, followed by research done by elementary school students, with the latter group providing the majority of the research done in STEAM education with programming. Scratch was used as the programming language in half of the research, while the percentage of searches that did not use physical computing devices was more than a half. The results from this analysis show the general trends in STEAM education and how programming in it has been employed. Furthermore, systematic analysis reveals the implications of programming in STEAM education. Application/Improvements: This research could be used to show the trend in research, as well as the direction of the teaching-learning program and educational model development in STEAM education.
Keywords: Convergence Education, Programming Education, Research Trends, STEAM Education, STEAM