Reviewing the Research Literature on STEM Education

This report reviews the literature on STEM education, highlighting various applications for early age students that are available currently in Australia along with their functions and degree of effective imparting of STEM skills in students. It also discusses the effectiveness of these applications using the EYLF framework.

STEM

Contents
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Literature Review.................................................................................................................3
STEM education applications for young children.............................................................5
Effectiveness of the applications..........................................................................................7
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES...............................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Modern education has become quite complex with multiple skills have been inculcated in
curriculums around the globe to promote a diverse learning experience among students ranging
from soft skills to technical skills which vary with different subjects and specialisations
(Murphy, MacDonald and Danaia, 2020). STEM is one of the most popular fields of study in the
current educational landscape which consists of 4 major subjects of study such as Science,
Technology, Engineering and Maths which are all domains which every human being must hold
some pedigree in to succeed in their respective careers (Buss, Leonard and Moss-Redman, 2020).
Over time, the STEM concept has evolved from simply studying specific subjects to becoming a
type of educational technique instead which focuses on individual styles and personal interests
during learning. This report will focus on the review of various literature studies conducted on
STEM education and highlight various applications for early age students that are available
currently in Australia along with their functions and degree of effective imparting of STEM
skills in students.
MAIN BODY
Literature Review
According to Alissa A. Lange (2019), who is a high ranking member in the East
Tennessee State University Early Childhood STEM lab where supportive and supplementary
methods and materials are designed for teachers to inculcate STEM learnings in children during
their early learning years, engaging pre-schoolers in STEM education training is easier than

expected. Young children's thirst for learning and inculcating new information is much higher
than those of adults which makes a strong case for making children start out learning key
concepts in technical fields such as Maths, Engineering and Technology during their preschool
or early school years (Engaging Preschoolers in STEM: It’s Easier Than You Think!, 2019).
Apart from making students proficient at difficult study topics at a young age, the language skills
are also strengthened through STEM study as most of the study matter and jargon used during
lectures are complex and make students rack their brains in order to understand what is being
spoken. It has also been noticed that teaching some basic concepts of engineering early on to
students helps in making them understand mathematical concepts much more easily.
According to Maureen Hunt (2020), STEM in early years can have many benefits for
children such as developing crucial skills among children which last for a lifetime which
includes language and communication skills. STEM learning also helps in promoting
coordination and collaboration in learning as many topics which are studied contain
multidimensional knowledge and by learning key concepts such as technology and engineering
early, children are much better equipped to tackle their chosen career paths in the future (10
things you need to know about STEM in early years, 2018). Many facts about STEM learnings in
early age were established such as it being easily absorbed by students regardless of age, STEM
is more of an intelligent learning framework rather than simply a collection of subjects and it
feeds the hunger in children to learn more. Another recent development in STEM is the
simplification of the entire process which has made it very easy for staff and teachers to learn
STEM methodology as it only involves learning of philosophies rather than tough theories and
models.
As per the opinion of Maria Serveta, Audience Researcher at the Science Museum and Dr
Sally Moomaw, an author and Professor of Early Childhood Education (2019), STEM
innovations have been rapidly transforming the way education is being imparted to students of
all ages with specific attention being paid to early age children as they respond much better to
these concepts without getting bored as compared to teenagers and fully grown adults. One of the
major developments in the current scenario of STEM education is that children think like
scientists as their questions result in more subsequent questions such as 'why', 'what' and 'how'
and STEM subjects are perfect for satisfying the well of knowledge in their psyche (The

importance of STEM learning, 2022). Another major point which was raised is that in order to
properly make toddlers and children study STEM subjects, there is an urgent need of supportive
adults in the field of education as children need to believe that somebody who they look up to
thinks that they can learn great things efficiently. Out of all the four stem subjects, maths and
science are the most important subjects that must be taught to children because in every future
career option, the basics of maths and science are applied universally and mastery over these
subjects helps students succeed with flying colours in the long run.
STEM education applications for young children
In the modern age of digital gadgets and the advent of social media and internet, STEM
education has transformed over the years and has been digitized successfully by multiple
educational institutes and businesses which have identified that there is great scope in making
students learn STEM concepts as most of the prestigious and lucrative career options that exist
globally all originate from basics of STEM (Schuck, and et.al., 2018). Mobile applications are a
major channel which has seen developmental integration with STEM education as there are
many benefits to study on these applications such as time saving, student convenience and
benefit of learning at one's own pace which has proven positive effects on the quality of learning
that students develop holistically. These types of learning oriented applications have also gained
a reasonable customer base in Australia where there has been a noticeable increase in the number
of researches being conducted to inculcate STEM learnings at a youngish age by observing
variety of results. When it comes to STEM learning apps which focus on early year children,
there are various segmentations which divide these apps on the basis of their primary features
and utilities as the field of STEM learning is quite deep and complex involving multiple
concepts. Some examples of such apps in Australia according to the previously mentioned
classification is listed herein.
Skills-Based
Cool math games is a the perfect example of a skills-based platform which hosts quality
games and activities aimed at inculcating key concepts of mathematics in children at an early age
to help them with STEM learning for future career help. The online portal first popped up in
1997 and contains only educational and learning oriented games and interactive applications by

being partnered with other similar portals such as coolmath.com and coolmath4kids.com which
are all quality applications. The games available at this platform fulfil all criteria of skills based
STEM learning focused on mathematics by having multiple applications focusing on basics such
as addition, subtraction and multiplication at coolmath4kids. Apps such as Alien Addition and
Grand prix multiplication combine activities that kids love such as racing with learning of
conceptual mathematics.
Exploratory games based
Simple Machines by Tinybop is a great market offering in the field of STEM learning
targeted towards a younger audience as it provides excellent engineering basics and NGSS
learning standards all neatly packaged into various interactive games which are available on
most digital platforms globally. It has a great design with a clear goal of making children explore
the workings of different physics mechanism behind movement and usage of simple machines.
The app has a fun and addicting gameplay loop for kids which allows them to freely explore and
establish the patterns of physics associated with a group of machines such as pushing a lever to
blow up castles, obstacle racing and using pulleys for aerial action with planes. The app’s biggest
strength is that it facilitates self-learning among kids as they are free to learn as their own pace
and they can go to multiple levels after passing challenges which further encourages exploration
by their young and curious brain.
Construction and experimentation
Sago mini is an award winning company in the field of gaming which has been focusing
on developing STEM apps and learning programmes aimed towards pre-schoolers and toddlers
to inculcate strong standards of basic skills in them from a small age. One of the best
applications that the company has developed for STEM learnings based around construction and
experimentation is the Sago Mini Robot Party which is a game in which children are made to
build their own robots by mixing and matching various robotic body parts. The app is very useful
for young students as it sparks their brain and helps in developing innovation and creative
capacities from a small age which comes in clutch during later years of their age. In order to
keep the kids playing and stay attracted towards the game, there are custom sound effects and

animations attached to different robot builds and there are billions of possible combinations to
prevent children from getting bored.
Interactive e-books
Friendly shapes storybook is the perfect example of an interactive e-book helping
young kids indulge themselves in STEM learning of the highest quality in Australia. This
application is quite a unique offering in the market as it is an interactive animated adventure
game which also has games and puzzles built inside to help children learn basic deduction and
exploratory skills along with an auto read mode which can read the entire story to children in the
form of a traditional e-book. The app has funny and relatable characters laid throughout he entire
story adventure and allows children to click on anything on the background to interact with the
environment with unparalleled freedom which makes it highly addicting and an effective STEM
learning option that parents use globally. The application can be read by both manual pausing
and automatic modes along with more interesting features such as basic and advanced games
about various shapes and their identification and vocabulary enhancement exercises. This
interactive e-book also contains tons of colouring pages for students to immerse themselves in.
Creative and open ended apps
Toca Boca is a world famous company which is pioneering STEM education in young
children using interactive applications of the highest quality and its market offerings are driven
by values of high quality holistic learnings coupled with an inclusive and positive engagement
experience. Creative learning is a very important part of the STEM learning program as every
modern career requires people who use their brains in smart and innovative ways which is a skill
gained best at a young age. Apps such as Toca Lab: Elements are great examples of interactive
games built to spark the creative energy within children’s brains by making them experiment and
discover different scientific elements which helps in teaching values of patience, constant
practice while also making them learn science (Toca Lab: Elements, 2022). The apps developed
by Toca Boca are also very open ended as there is no completion involved and children can pick
up the game from where they left it without losing their progress.

Effectiveness of the applications
The early young learning (EYLF) framework is an educational system which encourages
a holistic and balanced learning process subjected towards toddlers with multiple principles that
help judge just how effective some STEM and other learning apps are in educating children by
their parents and teachers (Whiteford and Hand, 2019). The above mentioned STEM applications
have been measured below using outcomes of this framework.
 Children have a strong sense of identity – All the above mentioned apps fulfil this
purpose along with the listed e-books as they all have features and activities that help
children shape their interests and identities at a young age.
 Children are connected with and contribute to their world – These outcomes are also
fulfilled by all the apps as services like Toca Lab: Elements and Friendly hopes
Storybook help children connect with their environment and learn scientific concepts
while having an entertaining time.
 Children have a strong sense of wellbeing – The apps do not necessarily cover this
outcome of the framework as none of the offerings help teach notions of health among
children which is something their providers could improve on. The e-book does have
characters in the story mode which teach children about being morally right.
 Children are confident and involved learners – All of the apps offered by established
companies such as Sago Mini and Toca Boca are built by design to encourage interactive
learning and build the child’s confidence through fostering creativity and stimulating
their minds.
 Children are effective communicators – With the help of apps present on platforms like
coolmaths4kids along with holistic STEM learning oriented e-books, children are indeed
turned into effective communicators as they learn how to interact with shapes, languages
and different items to express themselves.
CONCLUSION
The above report went into detail regarding the importance of STEM education which is
a complex and highly popular dimension of study which focuses on four important subjects,
Science, Technology, Education and Maths along with its philosophy which advocates for

teaching children to express creativity and learn communication at a young age through
interactive means of learning. Several apps and e-books were listed and various existing
literature was also analysed which was concluded with judging the effectiveness of STEM apps
for toddlers using the EYLF framework.
REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Buss, A., Leonard, J. and Moss-Redman, I., 2020, April. Leveraging teachers’ cultural and
place-based knowledge to enhance STEM learning. In Society for Information
Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 866-870). Association
for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).
Murphy, S., MacDonald, A. and Danaia, L., 2020. Sustaining STEM: A framework for effective
STEM education across the learning continuum. In STEM Education Across the
Learning Continuum (pp. 9-28). Springer, Singapore.
Schuck, S., and et.al., 2018. Mobile STEM Learning Scenarios. In Uncertainty in Teacher
Education Futures (pp. 177-203). Springer, Singapore.
Whiteford, C. and Hand, K.A., 2019. STEM Education in the Early Childhood Years: Promoting
Strong Foundations for Future Development. In 5th International STEM in Education
Conference.
Online referencing
Engaging Preschoolers in STEM: It’s Easier Than You Think!, 2019 [online] available through <
https://dreme.stanford.edu/news/engaging-preschoolers-stem-it-s-easier-you-think>
10 things you need to know about STEM in early years, 2018 [online] available through
https://kinderly.co.uk/2020/07/15/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-stem-in-early-
years/
The importance of STEM learning, 2022 [online] available through
https://www.pacey.org.uk/news-and-views/pacey-blog/2019/march-2019/the-
importance-of-stem-learning/

Toca Lab: Elements, 2022 [online] available through < https://tocaboca.com/app/toca-lab-
elements/>