SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Educ.
Sec. STEM Education
This article is part of the Research TopicSTEM: Innovation on Teaching and Learning Vol. IIView all 24 articles
INTEGRATING STEM INTO CURRICULA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND PROPOSED IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWOR
Provisionally accepted
- University of Hargeisa, Hargeisa, Somalia
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There has been increased interest in improving quality education by integrating STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education into the curriculum. Scholars suggest that properly integrated STEM provides students with diverse skills and real-world experiences aligned with national priorities and industry needs. This systematic review aims to identify the key challenges in integrating and implementing STEM education and to propose a comprehensive framework to address these barriers. This systematic literature review (SLR) investigates the integration of STEM education into curricula, addressing research gaps and proposing solutions. The study analyzed 28 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025 using the PRISMA approach. A qualitative content analysis was conducted to develop codes, categories, and themes. The analysis identified six key thematic areas: (1) Systemic Barriers, (2) Teacher Challenges, (3) Student Factors, (4) Curriculum Issues, (5) Pedagogical Gaps, and (6) Strategies & Solutions. The findings revealed that teacher-related factors, such as inadequate professional development and limited interdisciplinary knowledge, are the most fundamental barriers. Resource limitations and policy gaps were also significant impediments. The study concludes that teacher empowerment is central to successful STEM integration. Consequently, it proposes a comprehensive framework that emphasizes robust professional development for teachers, curriculum alignment with industry and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), pedagogical innovation, and supportive policy. This framework is designed to be a generic, adaptable tool for realizing effective and inclusive STEM integration across diverse educational contexts.
Keywords: 21st-century skills, curriculum integration, implementation challenges, stem education, Teacher preparedness
Received: 08 Oct 2025; Accepted: 12 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Madar, Sulub, Kofal and Khalif. 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: Mohamed Madar
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