Peer-reviewed article
A meta-analysis on STEM studies in early childhood education
Seçil Yücelyiğit, Zerrin Toker ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This meta-analysis examines experimental studies on STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education for preschool children. The analysis found a moderate positive effect size of 0.556 across the studies reviewed, indicating that STEM approaches have positive effects on children's learning and development. The authors note that despite the growing number of STEM studies, relatively few focus specifically on early childhood with experimental designs. The study recommends that preschool teachers be encouraged to implement STEM practices in their classrooms.
Key points
- The meta-analysis included only experimental studies on STEM for preschool children, a limited subset of the broader STEM education literature
- Effect size of 0.556 is classified as moderate, indicating positive but not large effects on children's learning and development
- More experimental studies on STEM in preschool settings are needed to strengthen the evidence base
- The authors recommend encouraging preschool teachers to design and implement STEM practices
Limitations
The document does not provide details on which specific studies were included, how many studies were analysed, or what learning outcomes were measured. It remains unclear whether the positive effects are consistent across different age groups within early childhood or across different types of STEM activities.
Abstract
The increasing number of studies on the STEM approach necessitates a holistic and comparative evaluation of the results. This study aims to investigate and evaluate the cumulative results of the experimental studies used STEM approach for preschool children. In this study, the meta-analysis method was used. Despite a great number of studies about STEM education, only a limited number of studies were accessed by the keywords “preschool”, “early childhood” and “experimental study”. The effect size obtained (0.556) is at a level that can be considered as moderate according to the classification used in meta-analysis studies. STEM studies aimed at preschool children have positive effects on children's learning and development. However, more experimental studies on STEM in the preschool field are needed. It can be suggested that preschool teachers can be encouraged to design and implement STEM practices in their class. For further research, the results of the meta-analysis can be supported by content analysis, and a similar study can be conducted for the other grade levels.