Enhancing creativity in STEAM higher education through problem-based learning: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) position creativity as a critical competency in 21st -century STEAM education, highlighting the urgency of cultivating students’ capacity to navigate complex transdisciplinary challenges. Although problem-based learning (PBL) has become a prevalent instructional approach, empirical evidence regarding its specific efficacy for fostering creative thinking remains inconclusive. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigated whether PBL is associated with improved creativity outcomes among undergraduate STEAM students, with particular relevance to international education contexts. Following PRISMA guidelines, fifteen peer-reviewed articles (2015–2025) were included, with six providing sufficient data for meta-analysis (k = 6). The pooled effect size (Hedges’ g = 1.64, 95% CI: 0.96–2.32) suggests a positive association between PBL and creativity outcomes compared to traditional instruction. However, given the small study count and substantial heterogeneity (I² = 88.5%), these results should be interpreted as preliminary and exploratory. Assessment priorities diverge across disciplinary contexts, with arts and humanities foregrounding aesthetic originality and self-expression, while science and engineering fields emphasise solution feasibility and collaborative problem-solving. Pure PBL and its variants demonstrate relevance for creative skill development, though subgroup comparisons remain descriptive due to limited study numbers. Notably, the included studies employed diverse, non-standardized creativity instruments across different disciplines, which significantly limits comparability and generalizability. These findings offer preliminary empirical insights for educators, and curriculum designers, yet the high heterogeneity and measurement variability underscore the need for future research with validated standardized assessments.