Can STE(A)M education nurture creativity? A meta-analysis

Even though many experimental studies have considered nurturing creativity as an essential advantage in implementing STE(A)M (Science, Technology, Engineering, [Arts], and Mathematics) education, there is currently a lack of meta-analysis research on the effect of STE(A)M education on creativity to confirm that STE(A)M education can improve creativity. Accordingly, the present study used a meta-analysis to examine the effect of STE(A)M education on students’ creativity, analyzing 29 effect sizes from 29 eligible international journal articles published between 2013 and 2023. Furthermore, the study explored multiple moderator variables and their impacts on creativity, including educational stage, school location, subject domains, core subject, arts domain, weekly teaching hours, information technology support, and problem/project-based learning. The research results showed that the overall mean weighted effect size was 1.11, indicating that STE(A)M education had a large positive effect on improving students’ creativity. Moreover, subject domains, core subject, weekly teaching hours, and information technology support influenced the mean effect size. The study recommended future research and practices on STE(A)M education to enhance students’ creativity.