Teaching Robotics with Problem Based Learning to Improve Students’ Computational Thinking Skills, Coding Skills and Positive Affects/Poučavanje robotike putem problemskoga učenja za poboljšanje vještina računalnoga razmišljanja, vještina kodiranja i pozitivnih afekata

Abstract

Abstract
This study aimed to examine the effect of the teaching of robotic coding designed
according to the problem based learning (PBL) approach for secondary school
students (11-12 ages) on their coding skills, computational thinking (CT) skills and
positive affects. This study used a ‘pretest-posttest quasi-experimental model with
the control group’ and the study group consisted of 178 fifth-grade secondary school
students. During the research process, 104 students in the experimental group were
taught using the ‘teaching of robotic coding with problem based learning method’,
while 74 students in the control group were taught using the ‘teaching of robotic
coding with the traditional learning method’ for five weeks. According to the results
obtained from the research, it was seen that both the experimental and control
groups’ coding skills and CT skills increased significantly. However, the experimental
group students’ coding and CT skills were significantly more developed than those of
the control group. In addition, during the treatment, each of the problem scenarios
given to the experimental group according to the PBL approach was found to
have significantly increased the positive affects of the students. As a result of the
discussion on literature and research findings, it was said that PBL and CT skills
can be bidirectional. This claim needs to be further explored.
Key words: coding skills; computational thinking; educational robotics; positive affect;
problem-based learning; problem solving; robotic coding

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Sažetak
Ovim se istraživanjem željelo ispitati učinak poučavanja robotskoga kodiranja
osmišljenoga prema pristupu problemskoga učenja (PBL) za učenike starijih
razreda osnovnih škola (u dobi od 11 do 12 godina) na njihove vještine kodiranja,
vještine računalnoga razmišljanja (CT) i pozitivnih afektaa. U istraživanju je
korišten model „polueksperimentalnoga dizajna s predtestom i posttestom s
kontrolnom skupinom“, a istraživačku je skupinu činilo 178 učenika 5. razreda
osnovnih škola. Tijekom istraživačkoga procesa, 104 učenika u eksperimentalnoj
skupini učilo je „robotsko kodiranje metodom problemskoga učenja“, dok je 74
učenika u kontrolnoj skupini učilo „robotsko kodiranje tradicionalnom metodom“
tijekom pet tjedana. Prema dobivenim rezultatima uočeno je da su se vještine
kodiranja i vještine računalnoga razmišljanja i u eksperimentalnoj i u kontrolnoj
skupini značajno povećale. Međutim, vještine kodiranja i CT vještine učenika iz
eksperimentalne skupine bile su znatno veće od onih u kontrolnoj skupini. Osim
toga, tijekom tretmana, svaki od problemskih scenarija zadanih eksperimentalnoj
skupini prema PBL pristupu značajno je povećao pozitivne afekte učenika. Kao
rezultat rasprave o literaturi i istraživačkim nalazima, smatra se da PBL i CT
vještine mogu djelovati dvosmjerno. Ovu bi tvrdnju valjalo dodatno istražiti.
Ključne riječi: vještine kodiranja; računalno razmišljanje; obrazovna robotika;
pozitivan afekt; problemsko učenje; rješavanje problema; robotsko kodiranje