Beyond acronym expansion: A critical review of STEM, STEAM, and STREAM as models of educational change

Leonidas Gavrilas; Konstantinos T. Kotsis

doi:10.29333/ijce/19475

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Leonidas Gavrilas ¹ ^* , Konstantinos T. Kotsis ¹

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¹ Department of Primary Education, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, GREECE^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

STEM, STEAM, and STREAM are widely used in educational discourse, yet the addition of letters does not by itself demonstrate a change in curriculum or pedagogy. This critical narrative review compares the three labels through six analytical dimensions: disciplinary base, problem framing, pedagogical process, learner role, teacher role, and assessment. The synthesis positions these dimensions against established models of disciplinary integration and distinguishes claims made for each approach from the strength of their supporting evidence. Integrated STEM has the most established, though still heterogeneous, evidence base; STEAM is substantial but conceptually contested, particularly regarding creativity and the role of the arts; and STREAM remains comparatively emergent, with stronger evidence for disciplinary literacy than for the acronym as a distinct model. Published robotics and climate-change cases illustrate how the framework can distinguish substantive interdisciplinary change from relabeling. The review argues that acronym expansion is meaningful only when added disciplinary practices alter the design and evidence of learning.

Keywords

STEM education
STEAM education
STREAM education
interdisciplinary learning
arts integration
disciplinary literacy
educational change
teacher education

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Review Article

International Journal of Changes in Education, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2027, Article No: em113

https://doi.org/10.29333/ijce/19475

Publication date: 02 Oct 2026

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Article Downloads: 3

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How to cite this article

APA

Gavrilas, L., & Kotsis, K. T. (2027). Beyond acronym expansion: A critical review of STEM, STEAM, and STREAM as models of educational change. International Journal of Changes in Education, 4(1), em113. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijce/19475

Vancouver

Gavrilas L, Kotsis KT. Beyond acronym expansion: A critical review of STEM, STEAM, and STREAM as models of educational change. International Journal of Changes in Education. 2027;4(1):em113. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijce/19475

AMA

Gavrilas L, Kotsis KT. Beyond acronym expansion: A critical review of STEM, STEAM, and STREAM as models of educational change. International Journal of Changes in Education. 2027;4(1), em113. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijce/19475

Chicago

Gavrilas, Leonidas, and Konstantinos T. Kotsis. "Beyond acronym expansion: A critical review of STEM, STEAM, and STREAM as models of educational change". International Journal of Changes in Education 2027 4 no. 1 (2027): em113. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijce/19475

Harvard

Gavrilas, L., and Kotsis, K. T. (2027). Beyond acronym expansion: A critical review of STEM, STEAM, and STREAM as models of educational change. International Journal of Changes in Education, 4(1), em113. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijce/19475

MLA

Gavrilas, Leonidas et al. "Beyond acronym expansion: A critical review of STEM, STEAM, and STREAM as models of educational change". International Journal of Changes in Education, vol. 4, no. 1, 2027, em113. https://doi.org/10.29333/ijce/19475