Characteristics of Student Engagement in Robotics

Abstract

This paper presents a study in which pre-service teachers were involved in developing robots and assisted in teaching robotics to middle school and high school students. The study focused on behaviors of the two groups of learners and aimed to elicit and analyze typical characteristics of their engagement in robotics. We collected qualitative data on learning processes and, by means of the ground theory method, elicited and analyzed their typical behavioral characteristics: self-confidence, help, collaboration, interest, seriousness, self-dependence, learning effort, responsibility, coping with learning pressure, learning through observation, and perseverance. As found, the behavior characteristics evolve in the course of robotics studies and their evolution can give indication on the development of the desired competences. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.