A review of Arts element to enhancing STEAM education in Malaysia

Abstract

Many countries have conducted many research in the last few years to improve their students' achievement through STEAM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. Malaysia also focuses on STEM and has stated STEM in the Malaysian Education Blueprint (2013-2015) to strengthen the science subjects in our country. However, the main issue related to STEM education in Malaysia is students' lack of interest in science subjects. The factors that course the students not interested in STEM are students' anxieties and difficulties in getting good grades in STEM, declining PISA performance, and teachers' teaching approach. Many studies that show integrating arts in STEM, which is known as STEAM education, is a critical education model for enhancing STEM. The United States, Korea, and New Zealand had already implemented the model in their education system. This review aims to introduce the STEAM framework and its importance for students and teachers. This study is very important because it will explain what STEAM education is and find out the importance of STEAM so that the Ministry of Education can implement a new approach to STEM. This is a qualitative study that employs a literature review to examine the findings, discussions, and recommendations of collected STEM/STEAM research works from 2006 to 2021. This review discusses STEAM has a positive impact on students' achievement, cognitive development, creativity, and ability in problem-solving as well as students' interest in science and teachers' pedagogy. STEAM education is still new in Malaysia. Therefore, in the future policymakers will need to develop a curriculum, professional development for teachers, and materials to ensure that STEAM can be implemented successfully in Malaysia