The Development and Gaps of Integrating Climate Change Education with STEAM Education

Climate Change Education (CCE) empowers students to act on climate issues. Combining STEAM with CCE (STEAM-CCE) helps students analyse climate data and develop sustainable solutions. Although important for climate literacy under climate change, reviews on STEAM-CCE’s development and gaps are scarce. As such, this study examines STEAM-CCE in terms of (1) the spatial-temporal trend and gaps; (2) the methodological and pedagogical gaps; and (3) future research directions by reviewing 167 studies from 3 databases. Although there has been increased focus on CCE-STEAM over time, most studies do not include “Arts” in STEAM-CCE, highlighting the neglect of arts-related advocacy in enhancing climate literacy. Research is primarily focused on developed regions, such as North America and Europe, creating a geographical bias that neglects the vulnerabilities and contexts of the Global South. Pedagogically, although hands-on, project-based learning is well-established, integrating the Arts into STEAM-CCE remains a significant challenge, often superficial and failing to achieve deep transdisciplinary integration. Additionally, the review highlights critical gaps in assessment, with few formative models to evaluate complex skills, such as systems thinking and action competence, and a notable underuse of motivational strategies, including gamification and field trips. Methodologically, the field is limited by an overdependence on self-report data and a lack of longitudinal and pretest-posttest designs. The study emphasises future research should develop strong pedagogical frameworks for authentic arts integration, create validated assessment tools, utilise emerging technologies like AI and sensors, and decentralise research via global collaboration. This will ensure STEAM-CCE is equitable, effective, and fosters climate-literate citizens.