Hands-on Learning In STEM: Revisiting Educational Robotics as a Learning Style Precursor

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The importance of learning style in student’s learning performance has been gaining scholar’s attention since it was coined in the early 70s. Atmatzidou’s robotics procedure of a five-stages robotic activities was deployed in the research. This study adopts a case study research design for gathering and analyzing data as the case research allows the exploration of unforeseen phenomena and offers insights into the interdependencies among components revealed in the study. This research introduces the use of Lego Mindstorm as the mean of pro-filing a student’s behavioral patterns. Student’s behavior patterns, then, mapped into radar charts to present the extent of both Kolb and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)’s profile of student’s learning style categories. The paper contributes to theory by extending Kolb’s Learning Style instrument by mapping the pattern of learning styles identified in the research and exploring students learning experience. Dominant four-domain-indicators captured during the activities characterize Students’ learning profiles. While the Kolb Learning Style and its instrument are considered classic in hands-on literature, the use of educational robotics to elaborate students’ learning style is novel in the literature that may affect the delivery of non-technology subjects in the curricula.</jats:p>

Teaching Control Theory: A Selection of Methodology Based on Learning Styles

“…Therefore, the 26 learning style models described in [48] were analyzed, and a literature search was conducted with one criterion: the model must be used in control engineering. As a result, three learning style models are selected according to [7,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20]: the Kolb model, the Felder and Silverman model, and the VARK model.…”

“…In [18], only partial results are presented; [16,[19][20] focus only on simulation and in theory; and [7] focuses only on the practical component. Conversely, only [14] shows the distribution of their students' learning styles.…”

“…Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of the other learning style models are analyzed. Applications of the Kolb model in teaching, such as those presented in [7,[14][15][16], are found in the bibliography. In addition, as evidenced in Fig.…”

“…This question was addressed using a large literature review of approximately two hundred studies that were classified in order to identify only the studies in the control area. The eight studies selected employ the following active educational methodologies: learning by doing, problembased learning, project-based learning, collaborative learning, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) [7,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. In summary, the previous bibliographic review concluded on the importance of updating the didactic and methodological strategies for teaching control theory due to its high level of abstraction and suggested establishing a relationship with the learning styles of students in order to effectively connect the theory with practice and to improve the understanding of control concepts.…”

Educational Robotics In Primary School

“…Ohnishi Yoshihiro, et al (2017) assess the effectiveness of robots in teaching programming to children in primary school. The study of educational robotics for the development of learning styles for schoolchildren is devoted to the article of Budiyanto et al (2020).…”