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Education Sciences
Volume 15
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10.3390/educsci15020164
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Practice or Praxis? A Theoretical Classification System for STEAM Education

by
Lucy Yeomans
1,*,
Kerry Chappell
1,2,
Lindsay Hetherington
1,
Sabrina Bresciani
3,
Elisabeth Unterfrauner
4,
Claudia Magdalena Fabian
4 and
Pavlos Koulouris
5
1
School of Education, University of Exeter, Exeter EX1 2LU, UK
2
Department of Arts Education, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, 5063 Bergen, Norway
3
Design Department, Politecnico di Milano, 20158 Milan, Italy
4
Centre for Social Innovation, 1150 Vienna, Austria
5
Research and Development Department, Ellinogermaniki Agogi, 153 51 Pallini, Greece
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 164; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020164
Submission received: 28 November 2024 / Revised: 22 January 2025 / Accepted: 24 January 2025 / Published: 30 January 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impact of Integrated STEAM Education)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Research in STEAM education continues to develop, and yet the literature in this area is often theoretically ‘light’. Given the importance of theory to provide explanatory power, the aim of this paper is to offer a theoretical classification system to be used as a tool for researchers and practitioners in this area. Derived from literature searches on STEAM education within open science/schooling, secondary/tertiary education intersection and global challenges, 26 frameworks were identified from 26 academic sources and refined based on their coherence and strong theoretical heritage. A relational ontology was proposed as a recurring theme and is a foundational aspect of the final classification system, signifying a shift from traditional models of STEAM that trivialise the ‘arts’ as utility disciplines. The 26 individual frameworks are organised into four approaches: ‘experiential real-world interactions’, ‘human psychological and cognitive’, ‘social, spatial, and material interconnectivity’, and ‘cultural and equity’. The overall classification system provides a starting point for researchers and educators navigating theoretically driven yet diverse STEAM implementation and understanding its impact depending on, and in response to, their preferred methodology. This system is novel in its treatment of theoretical perspectives, and its dynamic nature allows for the inclusion of further frameworks in the future.
Keywords: STEAM education; classification system; praxis; conceptual framework; theoretical framework; relational ontology; transdisciplinary STEAM education; classification system; praxis; conceptual framework; theoretical framework; relational ontology; transdisciplinary

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MDPI and ACS Style

Yeomans, L.; Chappell, K.; Hetherington, L.; Bresciani, S.; Unterfrauner, E.; Fabian, C.M.; Koulouris, P. Practice or Praxis? A Theoretical Classification System for STEAM Education. Educ. Sci. 2025, 15, 164. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020164

AMA Style

Yeomans L, Chappell K, Hetherington L, Bresciani S, Unterfrauner E, Fabian CM, Koulouris P. Practice or Praxis? A Theoretical Classification System for STEAM Education. Education Sciences. 2025; 15(2):164. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020164

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yeomans, Lucy, Kerry Chappell, Lindsay Hetherington, Sabrina Bresciani, Elisabeth Unterfrauner, Claudia Magdalena Fabian, and Pavlos Koulouris. 2025. "Practice or Praxis? A Theoretical Classification System for STEAM Education" Education Sciences 15, no. 2: 164. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020164

APA Style

Yeomans, L., Chappell, K., Hetherington, L., Bresciani, S., Unterfrauner, E., Fabian, C. M., & Koulouris, P. (2025). Practice or Praxis? A Theoretical Classification System for STEAM Education. Education Sciences, 15(2), 164. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020164

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