The Impact of STEM Education on Mathematical Development in Children Aged 5-6 Years

STEM education is a multidisciplinary teaching approach, which aims helping students develop knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. This study explores the relationship between STEM education and development of children's mathematics ability, as manifested in spatial ability. Sixty-five kindergarten students in two classes were selected and a between-subjects design was used in which a randomly assigned experimental classes received STEM courses twice a week for two months, and the other class received regular education. Result indicated that STEM education was associated with significant spatial ability improvement in children aged 5 to 6, and especially in children with intermediate or lower a-priori mathematical ability. The findings also show that STEM training mainly affects children's mathematics ability through building blocks skills.