TITLE:
STEM Education in Malaysia: A Systematic Review of Learning Outcomes, Student Engagement, and Workforce Readiness in the Era of Industry 4.0
AUTHORS:
Omar Faruqi Marzuki, Ellie Yi Lih Teo, Wan Nor Zanariah Zainol @ Abdullah, Nozieana Khairuddin, Nor Hanifawati Inai, Juniza Md Saad, Mohd Hamim Abdul Aziz, Nazrin Nurarief Mardi Asmawi
KEYWORDS:
STEM Education, Malaysia, Higher-Order Thinking Skills, Workforce Readiness
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.13 No.3,
March
16,
2026
ABSTRACT: STEM education is widely recognized as a driver of innovation and economic growth. In Malaysia, national initiatives such as the Malaysian Education Blueprint (2013-2025) and the National Policy on Science, Technology and Innovation (2021-2030) emphasize STEM as a pathway to workforce readiness. Despite these commitments, student enrollment in pure science streams remains low and learning outcomes are uneven, raising concerns about Malaysia’s preparedness for a technology-driven future. This systematic review synthesizes recent empirical studies and meta-analyses to evaluate the impact of STEM education on higher-order thinking skills, academic performance, student motivation, and workforce readiness, with particular attention to the Malaysian context. Findings indicate moderate positive effects on cognitive and academic outcomes (d ≈ 0.42 - 0.59) and increased interest in STEM careers (≈78% following program participation). However, this interest does not translate into sustained participation, with only 15.2% of students enrolled in pure science streams compared to the national target of 60%. The review suggests that this participation gap reflects systemic challenges, including exam-oriented pedagogy, uneven resource distribution, limited teacher preparedness, and socio-cultural influences. A contextualized STEM ecosystem framework is proposed to align policy, pedagogy, and industry collaboration to strengthen Malaysia’s readiness for Industry 4.0.