New study reveals limited correlation between popular toys and STEAM education
The study aimed to see how teachers view the connection between STEAM toys and STEAM education. They looked at 98 toys from a magazine and surveyed 74 teachers. The analysis showed that only a few toys are highly related to all five STEAM areas. The main factor affecting toy rankings was the score differences across the five elements. Some toys had significant score differences based on teachers' gender, teaching role, and familiarity with STEAM. In the top 10 toys, science and technology scores were highly correlated, as were technology and engineering scores. The study suggests recommendations for toy users, teachers, toy developers, and future research directions.