Artificial Intelligence in Elementary STEM Education: A Systematic Review of Current Applications and Future Challenges

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Memari, Majid, Ruggles, Krista
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Memari, Majid
Ruggles, Krista
author_facet Memari, Majid
Ruggles, Krista
contents Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming elementary STEM education, yet evidence remains fragmented. This systematic review synthesizes 258 studies (2020-2025) examining AI applications across eight categories: intelligent tutoring systems (45% of studies), learning analytics (18%), automated assessment (12%), computer vision (8%), educational robotics (7%), multimodal sensing (6%), AI-enhanced extended reality (XR) (4%), and adaptive content generation. The analysis shows that most studies focus on upper elementary grades (65%) and mathematics (38%), with limited cross-disciplinary STEM integration (15%). While conversational AI demonstrates moderate effectiveness (d = 0.45-0.70 where reported), only 34% of studies include standardized effect sizes. Eight major gaps limit real-world impact: fragmented ecosystems, developmental inappropriateness, infrastructure barriers, lack of privacy frameworks, weak STEM integration, equity disparities, teacher marginalization, and narrow assessment scopes. Geographic distribution is also uneven, with 90% of studies originating from North America, East Asia, and Europe. Future directions call for interoperable architectures that support authentic STEM integration, grade-appropriate design, privacy-preserving analytics, and teacher-centered implementations that enhance rather than replace human expertise.
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id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_00105
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Artificial Intelligence in Elementary STEM Education: A Systematic Review of Current Applications and Future Challenges
Memari, Majid
Ruggles, Krista
Computers and Society
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming elementary STEM education, yet evidence remains fragmented. This systematic review synthesizes 258 studies (2020-2025) examining AI applications across eight categories: intelligent tutoring systems (45% of studies), learning analytics (18%), automated assessment (12%), computer vision (8%), educational robotics (7%), multimodal sensing (6%), AI-enhanced extended reality (XR) (4%), and adaptive content generation. The analysis shows that most studies focus on upper elementary grades (65%) and mathematics (38%), with limited cross-disciplinary STEM integration (15%). While conversational AI demonstrates moderate effectiveness (d = 0.45-0.70 where reported), only 34% of studies include standardized effect sizes. Eight major gaps limit real-world impact: fragmented ecosystems, developmental inappropriateness, infrastructure barriers, lack of privacy frameworks, weak STEM integration, equity disparities, teacher marginalization, and narrow assessment scopes. Geographic distribution is also uneven, with 90% of studies originating from North America, East Asia, and Europe. Future directions call for interoperable architectures that support authentic STEM integration, grade-appropriate design, privacy-preserving analytics, and teacher-centered implementations that enhance rather than replace human expertise.
title Artificial Intelligence in Elementary STEM Education: A Systematic Review of Current Applications and Future Challenges
topic Computers and Society
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.00105