Perceptions of future teachers on the inclusion of creative robotics in Primary Education

Abstract

In today's changing and complex society, the development of creative thinking is essential for problem solving and decision making. For this reason, STEAM methodologies are increasingly present in the classroom with the aim of fostering students' creativity through, among other tools, creative robotics. In this context, this research aims to find out the perceptions of Primary School teachers in training about the inclusion of educational robotics in this educational stage, its pros and cons. The study, of a descriptive-inferential nature, uses a convenience sample of 121 students of the Degree in Primary Education at the University of Granada. An adapted version of a previously validated questionnaire was used to collect the data. The results of the sample as a whole show favourable evaluations with respect to the introduction of educational robotics in the Primary Education stage. By gender, the more positive assessment of girls compared to boys stands out in terms of the benefits of the introduction of robotics in the curriculum. Our results coincide with those of most previous studies on the subject.