Music and Mathematics in Technology-Enhanced STEAM Learning Pathways for Lower Secondary Education

This study investigates the design, implementation, and preliminary evaluation of two interdisciplinary learning paths integrating music, mathematics, and digital technologies within a STEAM framework for lower secondary education (Grades 7-8). Grounded in the structural analogies shared by the two disciplines, including pattern recognition, proportional reasoning, and symbolic representation, the intervention was developed using the ADDIE instructional design model, informed by teacher focus groups, and organised around a blended theory-practice-digital methodology. A pilot study was conducted at a lower secondary school in Aosta, involving two treated and two control classes; data were collected through pre- and post questionnaires on motivation, engagement, and disciplinary knowledge, complemented by platform-based formative assessment and classroom observation. The study produced two structured, institutionally compliant, and replicable learning pathways for Grades 7 and 8, designed to foster meaningful connections between musical and mathematical learning through technology-mediated instruction. Although constrained by sample size, intervention duration, and reliance on self-reported measures, the work provides evidence informed foundations for STEAM-oriented interdisciplinary curriculum design and establishes a basis for further experimental validation and large-scale implementation