Mississippi BEST robotics: An analysis of impact and outcomes on student performance and perceptions towards earning STEM degrees

Abstract

Robotics is an innovative way of intertwining the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Through robotics, students become competent and confident in Abstract thinking, problem solving, teamwork, goal-setting, and leadership. Established in 1998, BEST Robotics Inc, a non-profit volunteer-based organization and network with approximately 45+ hubs across the United States provides students, regardless of socioeconomic status from public, private and home school groups and organizations the opportunity to explore the engineering design process via the design, development and testing of robots that can perform specific tasks on game fields. As a regional hub in BEST, Mississippi BEST (MS BEST) Robotics used surveys to evaluate the impact and outcomes of BEST Robotics on student performance and perceptions towards earning STEM degrees post involvement in a regional BEST Robotics Competition. MS BEST served approximately 500+ middle and high school students dispersed into 25 teams. As a result of participation in MS BEST, students enhanced their self-efficacies, became more familiar and comfortable with STEM concepts through the engineering design process, worked in teams to compete in exhilarating competitions which served as great performance assessments, gained transferrable skills in programming, marketing, technical writing, design-to-implementation and failure analysis, and developed increased interest to pursue degrees in STEM.