Culturally Responsive STEM Teaching in Higher Education: A Decade of Bibliometric Analysis

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46328/ijonse.7887

Keywords:

Bibliometric analysis, Culturally responsive, Higher education, Pedagogy, STEM

Abstract

This study conducts a bibliometric analysis about culturally responsive teaching within the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in higher education from 2015 to 2025. With the utilization of VOSviewer software, the co-citation and co-word analysis were performed. This study involves 1,076 literature which explores the emerging literature of the field from the Scopus database. The findings revealed a 45 times increase in publication output, which displays a shift from an emerging inquiry to a global academic trend. While the United States remains the primary producer and surging contributions from the developing nations. The intellectual basis is pioneered by journals on culturally relevant ways of teaching but the data show an important shift toward culturally sustaining pedagogies. One of the findings is the start of a digital frontier, which utilizes artificial intelligence and computer-based instruction for cultural applications. Furthermore, the overlay visualization revealed a trend from theory-based practices to emphasis on instructional pedagogies and teachers' development. This study concludes that the future of STEM education in a culturally bounded context depends on a complex combination of pedagogy and technology. These results promote a roadmap for educators and policymakers for the creation of inclusive learning that would sustain students' needs.

References

Admane, R., Sawale, P. S., Jayasree, R., Kurup, S. J., & Thomas, S. A. (2024). Artificial Intelligence in Education: Tailoring Curriculum to Individual Student Needs through AI-Based Systems. Library of progress-library science, information technology & computer, 44(3).

Akçay, B. (2024). Sustainable Development Through STEM Education. Studies on Education, Science, and Technology, 144.

Alim, H. S., & Paris, D. (2017). Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a Changing World. Harvard Education Press.

Ammar, M., Al-Thani, N. J., & Ahmad, Z. (2024). Role of pedagogical approaches in fostering innovation among K-12 students in STEM education. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 9, 100839. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.100839

Aronson, J. (2002). Stereotype threat and the intellectual underperformance of African Americans. Educational Psychologist, 37(2), 93-105. https://doi.org/10.1006/jesp.2001.1491

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman and Company.

Bullock, E. (2017). Only STEM can save us? Examining race, place, and STEM education as property. Educational Studies, 53(6), 628-641. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2017.1369082

Chen, L. C., & Lien, Y. H. (2011). Using author co-citation analysis to examine the intellectual structure of e-learning: A MIS perspective. Scientometrics, 89(3), 867-886. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-011-0458-y

Cochran-Smith, M. (2016). Initial teacher education: What does it take to put equity at the center? Teaching and Teacher Education, 54, 130-140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.03.006

Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A Black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1, 139-167.

Donthu, N., Kumar, S., Mukherjee, D., Pandey, N., & Lim, W. M. (2021). How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 133, 285-296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.04.070

Fitri, H. S. A., Agustin, E. P., Chuchai, S., Joronavalona, R., & Ali, S. (2024). Trends in Culturally Responsive Teaching for Science Education: A Bibliometric Analysis. Journal of Technological Pedagogy and Educational Development, 1(2), 36-52.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Herder and Herder.

Gay G. (2010). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. Teachers College Press.

Gonzalez, N., Moll, L., & Amanti, C. (2005). Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Hutson, J., Jeevanjee, T., Vander Graaf, V., Lively, J., Weber, J., Weir, G., ... & Edele, S. (2022). Artificial intelligence and the disruption of higher education: Strategies for integrations across disciplines. Creative Education, 13(12). https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2022.1312253

Ives, M. R. (2020). First-generation college students as academic learners: A systematic review. Review of Educational Research, 90(3), 347-381. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654319899707

Karagöl, İ. (2025). Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Bibliometric Investigation of Scholarly Trends. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Buca Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, (64), 2255-2272. https://doi.org/10.53444/deubefd.1625031

Kaswan, K. S., Dhatterwal, J. S., & Ojha, R. P. (2024). AI in personalized learning. In Advances in technological innovations in higher education (pp. 103-117). CRC Press.

Kim, M. (2018). Developing a STEM identity among young women: A social identity perspective. Review of Educational Research, 88(3), 373-402. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654318779957

Klarin, A. (2024). How to conduct a bibliometric content analysis: Guidelines and contributions of content co‐occurrence or co‐word literature reviews. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 48(2), e13031. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.13031

Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465-491. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312032003465

Leon, C., Lipuma, J., & Oviedo-Torres, X. (2025, July). Artificial intelligence in STEM education: A transdisciplinary framework for engagement and innovation. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1619888. Frontiers. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1619888

Leonard, J., Buss, A., Gamboa, R. et al. Using Robotics and Game Design to Enhance Children’s Self-Efficacy, STEM Attitudes, and Computational Thinking Skills. J Sci Educ Technol, 25, 860–876 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-016-9628-2

Lin, M. P. C., Liu, A. L., Poitras, E., Chang, M., & Chang, D. H. (2024). An exploratory study on the efficacy and inclusivity of AI technologies in diverse learning environments. Sustainability, 16(20), 8992. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208992

Lynch, S. J., Burton, E. P., Behrend, T., House, A., Ford, M., Spillane, N., ... & Means, B. (2018). Understanding inclusive STEM high schools as opportunity structures for underrepresented students: Critical components. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 55(5), 712-748. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21437

McGee, E. O. (2017). The troubled success of Black women in STEM. Cognition and Instruction, 35(3), 335-358. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370008.2017.1355211

Mensah, F. M. (2018). Preservice and inservice teachers’ ideas of multiculturalism: Explorations across two science methods courses in two different contexts. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 29(6), 674-691. https://doi.org/10.1080/1046560X.2018.1425820

Mergen, A., Çetin-Kılıç, N., & Özbilgin, M. F. (2025). Artificial intelligence and bias towards marginalised groups: Theoretical roots and challenges. In J. Vassilopoulou & O. Kyriakidou (Eds.), AI and diversity in a datafied world of work: Will the future of work be inclusive? (pp. 17–38). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2051-2333202512

Morales-Doyle, D. (2017). Culturally relevant teaching and the critical race theory. Theory into Practice, 56(1), 14-21.

Moravec, J. W., & Martínez-Bravo, M. C. (2023). Global trends in disruptive technological change: social and policy implications for education. On the Horizon: The International Journal of Learning Futures, 31(3-4), 147-173. https://doi.org/10.1108/OTH-02-2023-0007

Morris, T. (2017). Reconceptualizing the sources of teaching self-efficacy: A critical review of emerging literature. Educational Psychology Review, 29(4), 693-713. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-016-9378-y

National Research Council, Board on Science Education, & Committee on a Conceptual Framework for New K-12 Science Education Standards. (2012). A framework for K-12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. national academies press.

Ong, M., Smith, J. M., & Ko, L. T. (2018). Counterspaces for women of color in STEM higher education: Marginal and central spaces for persistence and success. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 55(2), 206-245. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.21417

Paris, D. (2012). Culturally sustaining pedagogy: A needed change in stance. Teaching for Change.

Pierszalowski, S., Bouwma-Gearhart, J., & Marlow, L. (2021). A systematic review of barriers to accessing undergraduate research for STEM students: problematizing under-researched factors for students of color. Social Sciences, 10(9), 328. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci10090328

Pinkard, N. (2017). Digital youth divas: Exploring narrative-driven curriculum to spark middle school girls’ interest in computational activities. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 26(3), 362-396. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508406.2017.1307199

Porayska-Pomsta, K. (2016). AI as a methodology for supporting educational praxis and teacher metacognition. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 26(2), 679-700. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40593-016-0101-4

Rogoff, B. (2003). The cultural nature of human development. Oxford University Press.

Salas-Pilco, S. Z., Xiao, K., & Oshima, J. (2022). Artificial intelligence and new technologies in inclusive education for minority students: A systematic review. Sustainability, 14(20), 13572. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142013572

Tavdgiridze, L., Didmanidze, I., Khasaia, I., Sherozia, N., Dobordginidze, D., Akhvlediani, D., & Akhvlediani, Z. (2024). STEM teaching in contemporary education. Challenges to National Defence in Contemporary Geopolitical Situation, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.3849/cndcgs.2024.296

Teessar, J. (2024). Ethics in Science: Foundations, Contemporary Challenges, and Future Directions.

Tien, C. L., Hung, H. Y., Hsieh, W. H., & Chen, B. C. (2024). Using Science Mapping to Review Research on Culturally Responsive Teaching in Early Childhood Education. Educational Innovations and Emerging Technologies, 4(4), 1-11.

Van Eck, N., & Waltman, L. (2010). Software survey: VOSviewer, a computer program for bibliometric mapping. Scientometrics, 84(2), 523-538. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-009-0146-3

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.

Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning, meaning, and identity. Cambridge University Press.

Zeng, Y., Isleem, H. F., Tejani, G. G., Jahami, A., & Alnowibet, K. A. (2025). Examining the impact of culturally responsive teaching and identity affirmation on student outcomes: A mixed-methods study in diverse educational settings. International Journal of Educational Development, 117, 103376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2025.103376

Zidny, D. M. (2020). A multi-perspective reflection on how indigenous knowledge and related ideas can improve science education for sustainability. Science and Education, 29(7), 1351-1374.

Zupic, I., & Čater, T. (2015). Bibliometric methods in management and organization. Organizational Research Methods, 18(3), 429-472. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428114562629

Downloads

Published

2026-06-10

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Culturally Responsive STEM Teaching in Higher Education: A Decade of Bibliometric Analysis. (2026). International Journal on Studies in Education, 8(3), 813-836. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijonse.7887