Teaching Newtonian physics with LEGO EV3 robots: An integrated STEM approach
Johannes Addido 1 * , Andrea C. Borowczak 2 , Godfrey B. Walwema 3
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1 College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA2 School of Teacher Education, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA3 The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities, Ball State University, Muncie, IN, USA* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This paper investigated the effect of using LEGO EV3 robots to teach Newton’s second law with conceptual understanding to a group of 14 to 18-year-olds in an after-school STEM education program. 74 teenagers participated in this research study. A quantitative methods approach involving descriptive analyses, paired-sample t-test, and repeated measures ANOVA were used to answer the research questions. The results showed that the LEGO EV3 robots positively affected participants’ understanding of Newton’s second law of motion and their interest in pursuing STEM education and careers. In addition, the descriptive analyses from the pre- and post-interest questionnaire revealed that participants were more confident and willing to learn with robotic devices after the activity than before. Repeated measures ANOVA analysis indicated that scaffolded programming tasks affected participants’ computational thinking skills. Implications include the purposeful use of LEGO EV3 robotics and potentially other educationally focused programmable devices (e.g., micro:bit, Spheros, Arduinos, etc.).

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, 2023, Volume 19, Issue 6, Article No: em2280

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/13232

Publication date: 01 Jun 2023

Online publication date: 30 Apr 2023

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Article Downloads: 797

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