Young Children’s Engagement in Engineering Concepts Through the Robotics-Integrated Engineering Design Process

• In Event: Innovative Pedagogies and Approaches in Engineering and Computing Education

Abstract

This qualitative case study explored how 6-year-old children engaged in engineering concepts and applied them in the robot design process. Video-recorded observation data, children’s work samples and journals, and field notes were collected. Findings indicate that children engaged not simply in building their desired robot but also in considering context-specific criteria under given constraints. Children applied the original properties of robotic technology to building their robot prototypes, while they had trouble recognizing the unexpected properties that emerged from the interaction of the robotic system. Lastly, children optimized their robot design by prioritizing some criteria over other criteria throughout the iterative test-improvement cycle. This study will discuss pedagogical implications for children’s understanding of the core engineering concepts and technology-integrated engineering learning.

Author

• Sung Eun Jung, University of Arizona