A Scoping Review of 25 Years of Second-Order Diversity Research in STEM Education

This scoping review examines how diversity is represented over the last 25 years in second-order STEM education research by analyzing 290 English-language review articles and meta-analyses focused on gender, ethnicity, special educational needs, and socioeconomic status (SES). Our findings show a highly uneven landscape. Around half of the included studies addressed special educational needs, predominantly in mathematics, with a focus on achievement-related outcomes. SES and ethnicity were remarkably underrepresented, particularly in science, technology, and engineering disciplines. Gender-focused research was broader in scope, covering diverse STEM disciplines and a variety of outcome variables, but often remained focused on psychological constructs such as self-efficacy, interests, and educational choices. Across the dataset, research predominantly focused on single diversity categories, while studies addressing overlaps between multiple diversity dimensions were comparatively rare. These patterns point in the direction that current STEM diversity reviews primarily focus on individual factors, with relatively little attention given to structural and cultural influences. They also reveal how differently diversity itself is understood and who is included in STEM diversity research. We identify critical gaps and call for future research on diversity in STEM that includes a broader theoretical basis and structural and cultural influences, and can be used to inform equitable STEM education policy and practice.