Articles on STEM in mathematics education: Content analysis in Web of Science database

This study aimed to examine articles on STEM applications in mathematics education in the Web of Science database using the content analysis method. In the study, 93 studies conducted between 2013 and 2023 were examined in detail and 57 studies that met the inclusion criteria were examined using the document review method. The study is a qualitative research and has a descriptive nature. Within the scope of the study, all sections that should be in an article were examined and in this context, the articles were examined according to nine sub-problems, including the imprint of the articles, the topics covered, the research method, the data collection tool used, the sample, the sample size and sample type, the data analysis method, the shared important results, the recommendations and the number of references. The "Article Classification Form" was used to analyze the included articles. Codes were given to the studies and the data obtained as a result of the coding were transferred to the Excel program. The articles were interpreted based on percentage and frequency by content analysis. As a result of the study, it was seen that most of the studies were SSCI indexed, written by 2 authors and published in 2020. In most of the studies, Ethics Committee permission is not stated or is not present. There are very few studies supported by a specific project. Attitude towards STEM education is the most studied subject. Quantitative research methods were used the most in the studies, and data collection tools consisted of surveys and Likert-type scales. A maximum of 31-100 secondary school (5th-8th grade) students were preferred as the sample group. Content analysis, a qualitative data analysis technique, was used the most for data analysis. The finding frequently reached in the articles is that students' STEM motivations differ according to gender, place of residence, type of school, grade level and parental education level. It was observed that the suggestions given in the studies were mostly directed to research or researchers. Foreign sources were mostly preferred as references in the studies. As a result of the research, suggestions were presented to researchers and practitioners regarding STEM education in mathematics education based on literature information.