STEM+intercultural: Integrating STEM education with indigenous ancestral knowledge, traditional knowledge, and intercultural contexts. A systematic literature review

STEM education has become an interdisciplinary approach that integrates multiple disciplines to foster students’ skills for addressing global and local challenges. It focuses on learning experiences that embrace cultural diversity and promote contextualized learning within educational settings. This review examines the integration of indigenous ancestral knowledge, traditional knowledge, and intercultural contexts within the STEM educational framework. The systematic literature review followed the PRISMA methodology, including searches across four databases Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Taylor & Francis, focusing on studies published between 2020 and 2024 and applying predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Sixteen studies were analyzed, employing qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches across different world regions, with educational experiences situated in rural, indigenous, and intercultural communities at various educational levels. The results reveal a growing trend toward contextualized and integrative STEM teaching that emphasizes the cultural dimensions of indigenous and traditional knowledge. The findings also highlight the challenges and barriers in curriculum integration, persistent epistemic differences, and the role of STEM education as a tool for epistemic justice. In addition, they point to its potential as a foundation for future research on integrating ancestral and traditional knowledge in diverse intercultural contexts