STEM Education for Children with Disabilities: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Due to limited opportunities to access and participate in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, children with disabilities (CWDs) are among the disadvantaged groups in STEM education. This study aimed to review the peer-reviewed studies conducted on STEM education of CWDs in early childhood between 2012 and 2022. We utilized the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) checklist to clearly and transparently report the review process and findings. In line with the PRISMA checklist, the steps we followed in this review were: a) determining the criteria for eligibility (inclusion and exclusion), (b) conducting a literature search, (c) screening the identified articles, (d) verifying eligibility, and (e) extracting and analyzing data. As a result of a detailed search that we conducted by determining various keywords in EBSCOhost, Web of Science, Scopus, and SAGE Journals Online databases, we reached 451 studies. We included 10 of these studies in the analysis in line with specific inclusion criteria. We analyzed the studies included in the review in four themes: (1) main characteristics, (2) possible contributions, (3) barriers to, and (4) needs in STEM education for CWDs in early childhood.