On the Use of Robotics for the Development of Computational Thinking in Kindergarten: Educational Intervention and Evaluation

Abstract

Computational thinking is a relatively new concept that has attracted research interest during the last decade and has gained popularity in the field of applied education as well. This paper attempts to shed light upon the development of computational thinking in early childhood through an applied, experimental approach aiming to clarify the connection between computational thinking and programming with emphasis on visual and tangible programming of educational robots. The research is based on a case study that investigates the impact of robotics on the cultivation of computational thinking skills in early childhood through an educational intervention implemented in a typical public kindergarten in Athens, Greece. The intervention focuses on the development of particular aspects of computational thinking with the use of a programmable floor robot. The implementation follows a detailed lesson plan that encompasses all the robotic activities involved. Pupils’ activities, behavior and exchange are monitored for evaluation purposes. Data collected during the intervention are analyzed in an attempt to answer research questions related to the potential of robotics in the development of computational thinking in early childhood. Results indicate that the use of a robot in a playful way, suitable for the stage of development of kindergarten pupils, leads to notable enhancement of the kindergartners’ computational skills – a finding that is consistent to those of existing research studies on similar questions. Given the limited scale of this study, the positive results obtained may serve as a basis for the design of further, more extensive research on this issue.