How Do Elementary Childhood Education Teachers Perceive Robotic Education in Kindergarten? A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Robotic education is a popular topic in recent years. There are robotic education courses from pre-K to K-12 and these courses claim that they support STEM education. However, the teacher's perception of these activities and needs for this education is the missing part of the chain. The aim of this study to find out the perceptions and suggestions of early childhood teachers about robotic education in kindergartens. This is a qualitative phenomenological study. Ten early childhood education (ECE) teachers were the participants of this study. A semi-structured interview form was developed and in-depth interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data. After that codes and themes were defined through the content analysis process. The results of this study showed that ECE teachers have a positive attitude towards robotic education in kindergarten. The current status of kindergarten, perceived advantages/disadvantages of robotic education, and ideal robotic education were the emerged themes during data analysis. According to results, ECE teachers thought that there are many needs like teacher training, materials, curriculum, infrastructure, technical support, and parent education for implementing robotic education properly in kindergartens. Also, teachers underlined that robotics education could be beneficial for motivation, knowledge, thinking skills, development, and psychomotor skills of children. Results also revealed ECE teachers' suggestions about ideal robotic education in kindergartens. Suggestions for future studies and practitioners were also included.