Robotics as a Tool for Early Career Orientation of Schoolchildren in Engineering and Technology

Abstract

The study is devoted to the impact of using robotics elements on the formation of STEM skills in primary school schoolchildren. The work substantiates the importance of STEM education as a tool that develops critical thinking, teamwork skills, and practical skills.

Two groups of third-grade schoolchildren were involved in the study: a control group and an experimental group. Over a period of six weeks, members of the experimental group learned using various elements of robotics, which contributed to a significant increase in their results – by 34.75% according to the author's assessment scale and by more than 32% according to the author's questionnaire. The control group showed only minimal changes within 5%.

Schoolchildren who studied using elements of robotics showed increased interest in learning, especially in programming robot movements and constructing models. The results confirm that the introduction of robotics into the educational process contributes to the development of knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as motivation, and leads to an increase in schoolchildren' self-confidence and desire to solve non-trivial problems.