Participants’ perceptions about their learning with first LEGO® league competition – A gender study

Abstract

Robotics Competitions as FIRST LEGO® League (FLL) Competition are gaining more and more popularity, however, what are the participants learning? The present study investigates participants’ perceptions regarding their learning with FLL Competition. In particular, it explores participants’ perceptions about their learning about the world, learning to solve problems, learning to engage, learning to apply knowledge, learning to communicate, learning to apply the technology cycle, studies participants’ perceptions on the competition activities, but, more importantly, it explores gender differences in students’ perceptions about their learning in the competition. A quantitative methodology is used, a questionnaire collecting data on participants’ perceptions was first validated by a team of experts and then completed by 84 participants of the Finals of FLL Competition 2018 in Greece. Results show that participants’ perceptions on their learning are very positive: (a) they report that they enjoy taking part in the competition as they are engaged in activities of their preference, (b) participants consider the competition as a great opportunity for learning about real word problems and for the acquisition of skills in STEM areas of studies, (c) participants view that they acquire social, collaborative and communication skills and (d) regarding gender, females tend to be more engaged, enthusiastic, creative, eager to experiment and more likely to adopt collaborative strategies than males.