SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Digital Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1619888
This article is part of the Research TopicArtificial Intelligence in Educational and Business Ecosystems: Convergent Perspectives on Agency, Ethics, and TransformationView all 3 articles
Artificial Intelligence in STEM Education: A Transdisciplinary Framework for Engagement and Innovation
Provisionally accepted
- 1New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, United States
- 2Universidad de las Américas Ecuador, Campus UDLAPark, Quito Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
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Artificial intelligence (AI) has reshaped STEM education by influencing instructional design, learner agency, and ethical frameworks. This study conducted a systematic review of 41 peer-reviewed publications to examine how AI has been integrated into STEM educational ecosystems. The review focused on peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2025 that addressed AI applications in STEM education, transdisciplinary approaches to AI integration, and the ethical challenges inherent in AI-driven learning environments.Grounded in a Transdisciplinary Communication (TDC) framework, the review synthesized findings across three emergent themes: (1) the evolving role of student agency in AI-enhanced learning, (2) shifts in assessment paradigms toward adaptive, AI-mediated models, and (3) ethical tensions surrounding algorithmic transparency, equity, and automation in pedagogical design. The analysis revealed considerable disciplinary divergence, ranging from efficiency-driven applications of AI to reflexive, equity-oriented implementations rooted in inclusive access. Drawing on the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework and trustworthy AI principles, the review offers a critical lens on inclusivity and design ethics in AI-mediated learning environments.The study employed PRISMA protocols for transparency and utilized NVivo and VOSviewer to support thematic coding and bibliometric mapping. The results offer a conceptual foundation and a set of actionable strategies for institutions, educators, and policymakers seeking to implement AI technologies in ways that are ethically sound, inclusive, and informed by epistemic plurality.
Keywords: AI-aided decision process, collaboration, Ethics of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Inquiry-based learning (IBL), SDG4 quality education, stem education, Systems artificial intelligence, Transdisciplinary Communication (TDC)
Received: 29 Apr 2025; Accepted: 23 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Leon, Lipuma and Oviedo-Torres. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Cristo Leon, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, United States
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