Educational Robots and Creative Thinking Skills

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of using educational robots in extra-curricular projects to enhance creative thinking skills among students. To achieve this aim, a semi-experimental approach was followed, which involved training students to design and program an educational robot and use different cognitive skills derived from all their academic courses to solve a problem. The research sample consisted of (16) students in the fifth grade of Smart Learning Primary School. They were randomly divided into two equal groups: a control group and an experimental group. The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, form (B), was used as a tool for this research to determine any improvement in the students' creative thinking skills. The results showed statistically significant differences between the experimental and the control groups when their creative thinking skills – fluency, flexibility, and originality – were tested after they had used educational robots in extra-curricular projects, even taking into account several factors that could have increased their skills in these areas. This research recommends expanding the use of educational robotics activities to develop higher-order thinking skills among students. The research also recommends providing teachers with adequate training and technical support to employ robotics technology in education. KEYWORDS Artificial intelligence, 21st-century skills, problem-solving skills, learning activities, educational programming, higher thinking skills, robotics