Editorial: Special Issue “Promoting STEAM in Education”

Abstract

Lately STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art/aesthetics/architecture/all, mathematics) education has become a common notion. Yet, the theoretical and practical perspectives on STEAM, from its nature to classroom applications and its implementation in teacher education have unexamined potential. This special issue grew out of the International LUMAT Research Symposium “Promoting STEAM in Education” that took place at the University of Helsinki, Finland in June of 2020. With the challenges of organizing an online symposium in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, its online nature had significant advantages. The symposium drew international scholars inviting a multitude of prospective on STEAM education, while uncovering the challenges faced by educators. The issue aims at examining these challenges through a collection of papers. In this editorial, we introduce some key notions, discourses, and challenges of STEAM education, as a relatively novel concept and briefly discuss the history of STEAM and its evolution over the last decades. We also problematize STEAM and its roots through asking a question: What is “A” in STEAM representing? Then we introduce the three articles in this special issue: “Full STEAM ahead, but who has the map? – A PRISMA systematic review on the incorporation of interdisciplinary learning into schools”; Promoting STEAM learning in the early years: ‘Pequeños Científicos’ Program”; and “Promoting student interest in science: The impact of a science theatre project”. These articles challenge us to rethink STEAM education, reveal the potential of STEAM, and offer ideas for future research.