Using Robot-based Activities through 5E Learning Cycle for Promoting Students’ Computational Thinking and Engagement

Abstract

Nowadays, an important robot in education as a strategy is the meaningful integration of technology to encourage the students to think and connect to a real-world situation. Moreover, robots offer an excellent tool for teaching and learning STEM disciplines that can be employed in a variety of subjects. Many studies focused on promoting students’ conceptual knowledge. However, essential skills are crucial for the future success of students in the 21st century that is computational thinking refers conceptual foundation required to solve problems effectively. The purpose of this article is to descript the robot-based learning activity that utilizes robotics to enhance students’ computational thinking. Our study has been designing based on a revised 5E learning model (engagement, exploration, explanation, execution, and evaluation). The evaluation study was conducted with 29 high school students in robot activities. The authors found that the framework not only positive supports the three dimensions of computational thinking in terms of concept, practice, and perspective, but also enhance the students’ engagements toward robot activities.