Robotics and computational thinking in primary school

Abstract

Abstract This paper reports on a research study that examined how Australian primary school teachers integrated robotics and coding in their classrooms and the perceived impact this had on students’ computational thinking skills. The study involved four primary school teachers, (Years 1–6) from four schools, introducing LEGO® WeDo® 2.0 robotics kits in their classrooms. The data collected from questionnaires, journal entries, and semi-structured interviews were analyzed using computational thinking and teaching frameworks. The results demonstrate that exploring with and using the robot kits, and activities, helped the teachers build their confidence and knowledge to introduce young students to computational thinking. The study identified that teacher professional development (PD) needs to focus explicitly on how to teach developmentally appropriate robotics-based STEM activities that further promote computational concepts, practices, and perspectives.