Preschool children, robots, and computational thinking: A systematic review

Bakała, Ewelina; Gerosa, A.; Hourcade, Juan Pablo; Tejera, Gonzalo

doi:10.1016/j.ijcci.2021.100337

Cited by 66 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Generally, our results are aligned with previous evidence on the possibility of improving CT through ER at an early age and contributed to understanding how context-related factors might impact controlled interventions. While studies have shown evidence that ER is an effective way to introduce young children to CT ( Bakala et al, 2021 ), the effects of environmental factors, such as task engagement, were not reported. Previous evidence from older children ( Sharma et al, 2019 ) has shown engagement as a relevant factor in children’s attitudes toward robot programming (i.e., their self-confidence in the task); however, to our knowledge there has not been a quantitative study in which task engagement is specifically related to CT and ER outcomes in young children, despite engagement being pointed out as a relevant variable in these stages ( Critten et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, much of the current evidence on ER interventions is often limited by the lack of control groups and quantitative assessments. In a recent review of empirical studies on CT through robotics for preschoolers Bakala et al (2021) found that only 26% of the reviewed studies reported the use of control groups and experimental or quasi-experimental designs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several challenges, from lack of teacher training and professional development opportunities ( Caeli and Bundsgaard, 2020 ), to cost to classroom management ( Bers, 2008 ) have been previously mentioned in the literature. Moreover, academic reporting of successful small-scale studies should consider possibilities for scalability of their results and discuss the adaptability of their findings into real-world classrooms ( Bakala et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In a recent review of the characteristics of educational robotics interventions to promote CT in preschoolers, we found several reporting gaps which could hinder their reproducibility and scalability ( Bakala et al, 2021 ). Among the underreported details in interventions, we found several elements which are highly relevant for educators and practitioners willing to implement these findings, such as ER session’s duration and frequency, children’s group size, and adult’s role in scaffolding the activities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Educational Robotics Intervention to Foster Computational Thinking in Preschoolers: Effects of Children’s Task Engagement

et al. 2022

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Computational thinking (CT) is a broadly used term in education to refer to the cognitive processes underlying the application of computer science concepts and strategies of problem-solving. Recent literature has pointed out the value of children acquiring computational thinking skills (i.e., understanding and applying concepts, such as conditionals, iteration, or generalization), especially while learning STEM subjects. Robotics has been used as a tool to introduce computational thinking and STEM knowledge to children. As physical objects, robots have been proposed as developmentally appropriate for the early childhood setting, promoting motivation and allowing young learners to represent abstract ideas in a concrete setting. This study presents a novel educational robotics (ER) intervention using RoboTito, a robot programmable through tangible elements in its environment designed for kindergarteners. We used a quasi-experimental design with an active control group. In addition, we conducted a structured observation of the filmed material of the sessions to gather data on children’s attention and motivation throughout the activities. Fifty-one children (male = 33; mean age = 66 months, SD = 5.49 months) attending level 5 (kindergarten) at a Uruguayan public school participated in the study. Children in our experimental condition participated in an intervention programming RoboTito using tangible elements, while children in our control condition played with the robot through sensory-motor activities using a remote control and did not engage in programming. Motivational and attentional factors were assessed through video-recorded sessions of the ER activities. Four trained observers blind to the experimental conditions participated in the coding. Children’s interactions were assessed in four categories: task engagement, distractibility, oral participation, and objective fulfillment. Our results suggest children’s task engagement mediated their gains in CT after the intervention; post-hoc Tukey contrasts revealed non-significant pre-test to post-test gains for the control and low engagement groups, and significant for the high engagement group. Overall, we conclude task engagement played a central role in children’s learning gains and our robotics intervention was successful in promoting CT for engaged children. We discuss the practical implications of our results for early childhood education and developmentally appropriate ER targeted for young learners.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Educational Robotics Intervention to Foster Computational Thinking in Preschoolers: Effects of Children’s Task Engagement

et al. 2022

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“…For example, Silva et al (2021) focused on describing the available technology for 2-8 year old children as well as curricula implemented for these ages, while Kakavas and Ugolini (2019) focused on they way the teaching of CT has evolved in primary education in the last decades and was successful in identifying the context in which the technology was implemented and in which way CT was assessed. In a recent review (Bakala et al, 2021) we also analyzed the characteristics of robots and activities used in preschool education to promote CT skills with a focus on empirical research, however the specific ways in which each concept encompassed by CT was targeted was not part of our scope. Recent work by Taslibeyaz et al (2020) shed light into the way studies with young children considered the concept of CT by analyzing its definitions, which skills were targeted and which variables were assessed and included the technological tools used to promote these skills.…”

Section: Related Workmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Systematic Review of Technologies to Teach Control Structures in Preschool Education

Bakała

Gerosa²,

Hourcade³

et al. 2022

Front. Psychol.

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There is growing interest in teaching computational thinking (CT) to preschool children given evidence that they are able to understand and use CT concepts. One of the concepts that is central in CT definitions, is the concept of control structures, but it is not clear which tools and activities are successful in teaching it to young learners. This work aims at (1) providing a comprehensive overview of tools that enable preschool children to build programs that include control structures, and (2) analyzing empirical evidence of the usage of these tools to teach control structures to children between 3 and 6. It consists of three parts: systematic literature review (SLR) to identify tools to teach CT to young children, analysis of tools characteristics and the possibilities that they offer to express control structures, and SLR to identify empirical evidence of successful teaching of control structures to young children using relevant tools. This work provides an understanding of the current state of the art and identifies areas that require future exploration.

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Fostering computational thinking with simulated 3D robots in secondary education

Martín,

Hijón‐Neira,

Pizarro

et al. 2024

Comp Applic In Engineering

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Computational Thinking (CT) can be defined as the thought processes involved in formulating problems so that their solutions can be represented as sequential steps and algorithms. It is a key skill for children in the 21st century. However, it is unclear how CT can be developed most effectively in children. Several pedagogical methodologies have been proposed and are being investigated. The main aim of this paper is to test the hypothesis which states that using three‐dimensional (3D) simulated robots helps in the learning of programming and CT concepts, such as directions, loops, conditionals, and functions. The research questions are: Does this hypothesis hold true? Are some concepts easier or better learned than others and to what extent? The goal is to measure and evaluate the effect of using as a learning tool a platform with 3D simulated robots and realistic physics, and compare it with the standard Scratch learning tool which does not use robotics but a two‐dimensional (2D) cartoon avatar they are already familiar with. For practical reasons, a quasiexperimental design with nonequivalent groups and 85 second‐year Secondary Education students (ages 12–13) was performed. They were separated into control and experimental groups and followed a seven‐session intervention with the baseline 2D Scratch and the 3D simulated robots platform, respectively. Both used a visual block programming language and the same activities. To have quantitative and reliable results, a widely accepted CT test has been used, pre‐ and postintervention. Also qualitative feedback is presented. The obtained results show that using the platform with simulated 3D robots significantly helps when developing students' CT. With it, the students do learn basic programming concepts and reach higher scores in the CT test. This improvement applies to all CT‐analyzed concepts except in functions where the grades are maintained. Furthermore, students manage to master the activities on the 3D simulated robots platform, which reflects on the empowerment the platform has got in them.

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Preschool children, robots, and computational thinking: A systematic review

Cited by 66 publications

References 65 publications

Educational Robotics Intervention to Foster Computational Thinking in Preschoolers: Effects of Children’s Task Engagement

Educational Robotics Intervention to Foster Computational Thinking in Preschoolers: Effects of Children’s Task Engagement

A Systematic Review of Technologies to Teach Control Structures in Preschool Education

Fostering computational thinking with simulated 3D robots in secondary education

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