This article presents an overview of educational robotics (ER) in primary and preschool education. As ER seems to be gaining popularity for its effectiveness as a learning tool, more research needs to be done in this area. Recent results from ER pilot projects advocate for the integration of ER in K-12 education curricula. On the other hand,…

Background: In the digital age, fostering young children's computational thinking (CT) and executive functions (EFs) through programming has emerged as a significant research issue. While unplugged programming activities are commonly adopted in preschools, robot programming activities have recently gained attention for the potential to enhance…

Educational robotics integrates aspects from various scientific disciplines, encompassing the entire spectrum of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Its effective application is heavily reliant on educators tasked with implementing it within a school setting. This study aimed to investigate the potential adoption of…

Background and Context: Computational thinking (CT) is a fundamental skill and a new form of literacy that everyone should develop to participate in civic society. Sequencing and algorithmic thinking are at the core of CT. This study looked into how young children enrolled in a kindergarten in Colombia develop CT skills. Objective: This paper aims…

Educational robotics, as emerging technologies, have been widely applied in the field of STEM education to enhance the instructional and learning quality. Although previous research has highlighted potentials of applying educational robotics in STEM education, there is a lack of empirical evidence to investigate and understand the overall effects…

Early Age Robotics (EAR) education has become extremely popular throughout the world. It has proven to be not only interesting and enjoyable, but also effective at helping even the youngest of children (aged 4-7) develop skills and reap educational benefits. But what about their families? Are parents as happy with EAR programs as are the children?…

In this study, we investigated a rural school district's endeavor to implement and sustain coding and robotics integration into their elementary school classrooms. Our data sources were teacher and administrator interviews, video recordings of teachers' learning of coding and robotics, and artifacts. The analysis showed that administrators and…

The present pilot study outlines findings from a study that evaluated the efficacy of educational robots in enhancing children's cognitive skills and historical knowledge. Applying LEGO® Wedo 2.0, the study focused on typically developing nine-year-old students in a K-12 public school setting. The hypothesis posited that students using robotics…

Learning basic concepts of programming resulting in a development on computational thinking (CT) can be reached by means of digital programming environments. As a counterpart, the application of unplugged programming activities seems also to have promising potential regarding the impact on CT. The main characteristic of unplugged programming is…

The aim of this pilot study is to support the activity-based unplugged coding and robotic coding skills of children during their preschool period. A significant sample was chosen for this quantitative research. The study group consisted of 24 5-year-old children being educated in a State kindergarten under the Gaziantep Provincial Directorate of…

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the perceived ease of use and usefulness of an assistive robot educator tool. The theoretical foundation for this study was the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Service Robot Acceptance Model (sRAM), which explore perceptions around the utility of technological systems. The…

Teachers' self-efficacy in managing classrooms is an important consideration when it comes to bringing educational robots to classrooms. Orchestration tools support teachers by providing awareness indicators of students' progress as well as levers to control the flow of the lesson. We designed and evaluated the impact of an orchestration tool for…

Background: The number of artificial intelligence (AI) literacy studies in K-12 education has recently increased, with most research focusing on primary and secondary education contexts. Little research focuses on AI literacy programs in early childhood education. Objectives: The aim of this mixed-methods study is to examine the feasibility of an…

Geometric concepts are fundamental to early geometry education, and developmentally appropriate practices are crucial for teaching them to young children. Robotic coding is an effective tool in many areas of early mathematics and has significant potential in teaching geometric concepts. This study aimed to test the impact of a research-based…

Recently, coding and robotics education has started to be integrated into early childhood education in Turkey. The current study aims to investigate the effects of "Productive Children: Coding and Robotics Education Program (PCP)" on children's cognitive development skills, language development and creativity. Eighty children, enrolled…