Abstract
Youths’ natural fascination and identification with robots make them an ideal teaching and learning platform. Robots would seem to be excellent hands-on tools to teach science, engineering and technology (SET) concepts. However, while research supports their use to increase interest and motivation, the effectiveness of robots to directly teach science, engineering, and technology concepts is less clear. The purpose of this study was to measure the effectiveness of a 4-H robotics program to support the learning of specific SET concepts and to examine related student attitudes towards science. This study compared the pretest and posttest scores on an assessment of basic SET concepts and attitudes of youth who participated in the 4-H robotics intervention with the scores of youth in a control group. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) results revealed that youth in the robotics intervention scored better on a SET concepts posttest. Student attitudes toward science were also investigated. The results suggested that educational robotics can engage youth in activities that support their learning of SET topics, but that it may have more limited impact on general student attitudes towards science, as measured by the study's attitudinal instrument.
Highlights
American students’ low proficiency level in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics is a major impediment to the nation’s 21st century global competitiveness
The results suggested that educational robotics can engage youth in activities that support their learning of SET topics, but that it may have more limited impact on general student attitudes towards science, as measured by the study's attitudinal instrument
The analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) analysis related to this student learning examined the effect of the robotics intervention using the posttest score of the concepts test as the dependent variable, and using the pretest score and age as covariates
Summary
American students’ low proficiency level in science, engineering, technology, and mathematics is a major impediment to the nation’s 21st century global competitiveness. In the 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report, only two percent of American students attained advanced levels of science or mathematics achievement by Grade 12. A substantial percentage of students scored below the “basic” level of proficiency. 32 percent of Grade 4 students, 41 percent of Grade 8 students, and 46 percent of Grade 12 students scored below the “basic” level. 20 percent of Grade 4 students, 31 percent of Grade 8 students, and 39 percent of Grade 12 students scored below this lowest level of proficiency. If technological and scientific innovation is to continue to drive the U.S economy, there is a vital need for our educational system to engage in innovative practices that increase science, engineering, technology, and mathematics learning, and entice youth into these important career areas (Bonvillian, 2002)
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