Educational Robotics Applications for the Development of Computational Thinking in a Brazilian Technical and Vocational High School

Abstract

Nowadays, solving problems is substantial for the social relationship human. Computational Thinking (CT) emerges as an interdisciplinary thought process encompassing mental abilities to help students solve and understand problems. Researchers invest in the methodological proposal of activities aimed at CT stimulation, educational approaches, and the conception of technologies that support these activities' execution. Educational Robotics (ER) is one of these technologies that stand out at different educational levels to favor teamwork, logical thinking, and creativity, skills intimately articulated with the computing paradigm. The main objective of this work is to investigate the impact of ER activities on CT development and subjects learning in the Technical and Vocational Education in High School. For this, we accomplished a study of intervention research type with students and teachers analyzing quantitative and qualitative aspects. The results indicate that the introduction of ER can favor students in the development of CT skills and learning High School subjects.

Analyzing the Effectiveness of an Educational Process for Teaching Programming Through Educational Robotics in a Brazilian Technical and Vocational High School

“…However, we focused on understanding how our educational process quantitatively impacts the CT's skills to validate our proposal presented in [Souza et al 2022]] and, consequently, contribute to the literature with guidelines that can be applied to validate educational processes. In addition, with this study, we could endorse our past studies [Isabelle M. L. et al 2019, Souza et al 2021b, Souza et al 2021a] that indicated ER as an instrument capable of fostering CT skills in TV High School students.…”

“…Compared to a traditional curriculum activity in play, ER helps programming, CT development, and sequencing ability [Yang et al 2022]. Besides, in [Souza et al 2021b], we show that contact with computational-based ER can positively impact CT skills; however, this impact could be even more significant if supported by an educational process built to foster CT.…”

“…However, we used the Anthropological Theory of Didactic indirectly when we applied our educational process. In [Souza et al 2022], we showed our educational process based on the Anthropological Theory of Didactic and ER consolidated methodologies to teach sciences like LEGO ® Education [ZOOM 2010], besides our ER experiences [Souza et al 2016a, Souza et al 2016b, Isabelle M. L. et al 2019, Souza et al 2021b, Souza et al 2021c. In this study, we described the results of an intervention that observed how high school students develop CT skills with or without contact with our educational process.…”

Empowering Vocational Students: A Research-Based Framework for Computational Thinking Integration

“…Exploring the intersection of CT and VET revealed three noteworthy papers, each approaching the topic from a distinct angle. These encompassed one empirical research paper, i.e., [75], providing valuable real-world insights, one literature review, i.e., [76], which synthesized existing knowledge, and another that adopted a theoretical approach, i.e., [12], further contributing to the theoretical foundations of this interdisciplinary field.…”

“…Their study illustrates how specific tools can cultivate CT skills within crafts and design education. In a different context, Souza et al [75] conducted a study on educational robotics in a Brazilian technical high school, showcasing improvements in student performance as a result of CT integration.…”