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Advances in STEAM Education Research and Practice: Towards Sustainable Development
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Advances in STEAM Education Research and Practice: Towards Sustainable Development

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Education and Approaches".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 4464

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Theodosia Prodromou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Education, Faculty of HASSE, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
Interests: STEM; STE(A)M; teacher education; mathematics education; professional development; engineering research methodology; teaching and learning; educational technology; research methodology; big data; analytics; education research
Dr. Filiz Kuşkaya Mumcu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Linz School of Education, STEM Didactics Department, Altenberger Straße 68, 4040 Linz, Austria
2. Faculty of Education, Department of Computer Education and Instructional Technology, Manisa Celal Bayar University, 45900 Manisa, Turkey
Interests: ICT integration; teacher education; computer science education; diffusion of innovation; technology acceptance model; integrated STEM education

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue foregrounds the potential of and challenges associated with disciplinary and interdisciplinary reasoning and learning, acknowledging the critical role of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) in education for sustainable and equitable environments, societies and work in the future. It is essential to engage students and the wider community to develop the skills needed for a successful transition to a sustainable society.

Research in STEM education and practice towards Sustainable Development is strongly grounded in the practices of educators, institutions, and systems, and is committed to innovative (inter)disciplinary pedagogies, transformative curricular practices, teacher identities and professional learning, and school and systemic change.

An increasing number of research studies focus on early childhood to adult learning settings. Striving for an ethically informed future, STEM education, research, and practice necessitate the development of a list of basic capabilities such as critical thinking; creative reasoning; computational thinking; the modelling and design of contemporary STEM practices; and adapting, developing, and integrating new innovative resources and technologies. Student agency, citizenship, and equity in relation to STEM participation are also crucial.

The development of technology, including augmented reality, 3D-printing, gamification, and adaptive learning, and the refinement of research methods in technology-supported learning environments contribute to a more sustainable integration of pedagogical innovations into scientific and school practices (Lavicza, et al., 2022).

This Special Issue aims to provide a forum for sharing research findings, ideas, and perspectives on this fast-growing field of STEM education research and practice towards Sustainable Development.

Recommended topics include, but are not restricted to, the following:

  • Teaching across subject boundaries.
  • Studying and supporting STEM teachers, their practices and learning, and school changes.
  • Researching students’ learning in STEM.
  • Primary and secondary teachers’ adaptive expertise in interdisciplinary math and science.
  • STEM practices and STEM partnerships.
  • Girls in STEM education .
  • Promoting critical and creative thinking, reasoning, and learning in STEM.
  • Sustainable learning: Students’ engagement with STEM subjects.
  • Multimodal languages and learning in STEM.
  • Contemporary research methodologies in STEM.
  • Developing educational innovations for STEM education in rapidly changing digital technology environments.
  • Authentic science and mathematics in schools.
  • Integrating computational thinking in STEM education.

Dr. Theodosia Prodromou
Dr. Filiz Kuşkaya Mumcu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • STEM
  • teaching
  • learning
  • interdisciplinary
  • transdisciplinary
  • sustainable
  • development
  • practice
  • practices
  • partnerships
  • futures
  • emerging technologies

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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15 pages, 2410 KiB  
Article
The Role of Experiencing Self-Efficacy When Completing Tasks—Education for Sustainable Development in Mathematics
by Michael Meyer, Carolin Kammrad and Ruben Esser
Sustainability 2025, 17(10), 4298; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17104298 - 9 May 2025
Viewed by 412
Abstract
A wide variety of requirements can be placed on tasks that deal with education for sustainable development in mathematics lessons. They should be as authentic as possible, use real problems as the mathematical learning material, and stimulate action, among other qualities. This article [...] Read more.
A wide variety of requirements can be placed on tasks that deal with education for sustainable development in mathematics lessons. They should be as authentic as possible, use real problems as the mathematical learning material, and stimulate action, among other qualities. This article discusses the role of self-efficacy and the experience of self-efficacy when working on modelling tasks that are geared towards a sustainable future. High school students in Germany worked in a STEM learning environment on different aspects of climate change and species extinction, including plastic waste, recycling, rainforests, and their deforestation. These aspects were analysed from a geographical, biological, physical, and mathematical perspective. In mathematics, specifically, tasks were used to address the learners’ self-efficacy. After completing the tasks, a questionnaire was distributed to assess the interest and motivation of the learners. The results show that even a slightly different use of self-efficacy, whether by focusing on what has already been achieved (sustainable successes that promote positive emotions) or on what can still be achieved, can influence the learners’ interest in completing the tasks. The learners’ experience of self-efficacy seems to have a positive influence on their willingness to solve tasks. Additionally, the results indicate a complex relationship between motivation and interest on the one hand and self-efficacy on the other. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in STEAM Education Research and Practice: Towards Sustainable Development)
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21 pages, 2220 KiB  
Article
STEAM Education Using Natural Resources in Rural Areas: Case Study of a Grouped Rural School in Avila, Spain
by Patricia-Teresa Espinosa-Gutiérrez, Elisa Gavari-Starkie, Cristina Lucini-Baquero and Josep Pastrana-Huguet
Sustainability 2025, 17(6), 2736; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062736 - 19 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1162
Abstract
Rural Spain has strengths but also presents notable problems. Education is a necessary way to improve rural communities. A better educated population will ensure they do not disappear and enhance their quality of life. This article explores the educational potential of rural Spain [...] Read more.
Rural Spain has strengths but also presents notable problems. Education is a necessary way to improve rural communities. A better educated population will ensure they do not disappear and enhance their quality of life. This article explores the educational potential of rural Spain by focusing on a practical case study at the Grouped Rural School (CRA) Las Cogotas in Ávila, Castilla and León. It highlights the strengths and challenges of rural areas, including depopulation, aging, and lack of services, and emphasizes the importance of education in addressing these issues. The study implements STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education through outdoor activities, utilizing local rural and natural resources to enhance students’ learning experiences and foster environmental stewardship. The methodology includes structured interviews and a Likert scale survey analyzed with the ATLAS.ti tool to evaluate the effectiveness of the activities. The results indicate that students developed a stronger connection to their environment and showed increased interest in STEAM subjects. The findings underscore the value of integrating rural resources into formal education to improve the quality of life and sustainability of rural communities. The article aims to highlight the educational resources that rural areas offer to develop STEAM education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in STEAM Education Research and Practice: Towards Sustainable Development)
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Other

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16 pages, 281 KiB  
Case Report
“Curious Is as Curious Does”: Fostering Question-Asking in a Sino-Foreign Engineering School—A Case Study
by Tzipora Rakedzon and Constance Van Horne
Sustainability 2024, 16(17), 7308; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177308 - 25 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1805
Abstract
Curiosity and question-asking are at the heart of science and engineering education. However, question-asking can be difficult for students due to several factors, including fear, language barriers, and cultural norms. This is especially true among Chinese students, who represent a growing number of [...] Read more.
Curiosity and question-asking are at the heart of science and engineering education. However, question-asking can be difficult for students due to several factors, including fear, language barriers, and cultural norms. This is especially true among Chinese students, who represent a growing number of upcoming engineers. To address this, in this case study from a university teaching reform project, we investigate the perceptions of curiosity and question-asking among Chinese science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate students following a newly developed semester-long project in a second-year communications course at a recently established Sino-foreign engineering school in China. In this period, students engaged in project-based learning centered around Nobel Prize-winning research, allowing them to explore the driving questions behind groundbreaking discoveries. Through a combination of qualitative analyses from students’ personal reflections as well as from a post-survey, the study examines students’ perceptions of curiosity and question-asking, the influence of gender on these skills, and the role of failure and perseverance in scientific inquiry. Findings indicate that the project increased students’ curiosity and improved their confidence in asking questions while providing insights into gender differences. Moreover, students were inspired by the curiosity of the Nobel Laureates, by the “simplicity” of the questions asked, and by the great importance of tenacity, passion, and learning from mistakes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in STEAM Education Research and Practice: Towards Sustainable Development)
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