Measurement of Executive Functioning Using a Playful Robot in Kindergarten

Abstract

We explored the potential of a robotics application in education as a measurement tool of child executive functioning skills. Sixtyfive kindergarteners received assignments to go through a maze with a programmable robot, the Bee-Bot. Via observation we quantified how they solved these tasks. Their performance was successfully aggregated into a latent variable, which was used to predict the outcomes on standardized tasks that measure executive functioning. The latent variable significantly predicted performance on several tasks that measure problem-solving abilities, memory, visuospatial abilities and attention. It did not significantly predict pencil-and-paper tasks that measured visuospatial ability and nonverbal or design fluency. This study showed that it is possible to use a playful robotics task to obtain information on children's ability. We recommend more research on using diverse robots in larger samples with different age groups to further explore the possibilities of robots as a test instrument.

Robots and Robotics Kits for Early Childhood and First School Age

“…From smart screen technologies to block-based programming environments designed for teaching and learning, digital technologies are introduced in the classroom even from an early age [1] [2]. Over the past decade, a wide range of interactive technologies and tools designed especially for young age children, such as block-based visual programming environments (ScratchJr, Scratch, MIT App Inventor, etc.…”

“…Educational Robotics can be considered as a multidisciplinary approach involving aspects as diverse as design algorithms, design mechanical structures, construction, and operation of robots and robotics kits as well as the possibility of applying engineering mathematics, physics principles, and other science subjects [17]. In general, these characteristics and methods are very well suited for the design of activities with STEM orientation [2]. Educational robotics has many real-world applications in various fields of science, mathematics, and engineering helping to remove the abstractness of these scientific fields while improving skills, and effective learning strategies such as spatial ability, selective attention, risk-taking, decision-making skills, etc.…”

Effective instruction conditions for educational robotics to develop programming ability of K‐12 students: A meta‐analysis

“…Conceptual content (sequences, loops, events, parallelism, conditionals, operators and data) and practical content (being incremental and iterative, testing and debugging, reusing and remixing, abstracting and modularizing) are widely concerned in the literatures included (Brennan & Resnick, 2012). As a result, in this study, essential ability included programming concepts, knowledge, computational concepts that students learn in ER activities, as well as practical skills related to programming, such as hands‐on operation, execution ability, computational practise and practical skills (Master et al, 2017; Urlings et al, 2019).…”

“…assembling, coding and running robots. Conceptual content (sequences, loops, events, parallelism, conditionals, operators and data) and practical content (being incremental and iterative, testing and debugging, reusing and remixing, abstracting and modularizing) are widely concerned in the literatures included(Brennan & Resnick, 2012).As a result, in this study, essential ability included programming concepts, knowledge, computational concepts that students learn in ER activities, as well as practical skills related to programming, such as hands-on operation, execution ability, computational practise and practical skills(Master et al, 2017;Urlings et al, 2019).Throughout the literatures, ER education undertakes the mission of cultivating students' ability and literacy development. In 2006, Jeannette M. Wing put forward the CT definition so that endowed with K-12 programming education a new logical starting point(Sun et al, 2020;Wing, 2006).…”

Educational robotics and STEAM in early childhood education

“…On the contrary, a lack of technical knowledge and support has been identified in the relevant literature as a potential challenge for teachers implementing robotics in their classroom Urlings et al, 2019). As such, educators must think carefully and critically about how their beliefs and confidence with technology influence what they choose to integrate and how their choices can best align with children's social and cultural experiences .…”