A meta-analysis of STEM integration and student achievement: An engineering-design approach

This study meta-analyzed STEM integration’s effect on student achievement using 75 effect sizes from 36 studies of 13,001 learners. The results showed a moderate and positive overall effect of STEM integration on student STEM achievement (g = .668). The effect size was largest for context integration, smaller for content integration, and smallest for tool integration. Inquiry-based learning yielded the largest effect size with progressively smaller effect sizes for problem-based learning, design-based learning, and project-based learning. Effect sizes were smaller for standardized achievement assessments and for the United States. Experiment design type, intervention length, measured achievement subject, and publication type moderated STEM integration’s effect on student achievement. Whether involving engineering design skills or not didn’t moderate its effect on student achievement. Copyright © 2023 AERA.