Global research trends in STEAM education: a bibliometric analysis

The advent of STEAM education, which combines science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics, remains inadequately scrutinised. STEAM aims to develop creative, analytical, and practical problem-solving skills. Despite its growing importance, there is a lack of comprehensive understanding concerning research trends, key contributors, and topic trajectories in this field. This work fills the gap by conducting a bibliometric analysis of 779 papers indexed in Scopus and Web of Science, published from 2015 to 2025, selected in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 checklist. Advanced visualisation and analytical tools, including the Bibliometrix package in R, VOSviewer, Cite Space, and Python were employed for bibliometric. The results reveal a consistent rise in annual publications, indicating ongoing interest and growth in STEAM education. China, USA, and Spain emerged as major contributors, while the Johannes Kepler University, National Taiwan Normal University, and Clemson University were acknowledged as notable institutions. Notable journals publishing STEAM-related research including Education Sciences, Frontiers in Education, and Sustainability (Switzerland). Zsolt Lavicza, Danielle Herro and Cassie Quigley were leading authors among top ten contributors in this field. The Education, collaborative learning and STEAM education were leading keywords among top 20 keywords in the burst analysis. The readiness of teachers is essential for the success of STEAM education. This study combines quantitative and qualitative methodologies and examines a substantial dataset, offering an in-depth overview of STEAM expansion, so acting as an essential resource for educators, policymakers, and researchers concentrating on future educational initiatives.