TY - JOUR
T1 - Learning Performance of Different Genders’ Computational Thinking
AU - Hsu, Ting Chia
AU - Chang, Ching
AU - Wong, Lung Hsiang
AU - Aw, Guat Poh
N1 - Funding Information:
The manuscript has the funding, which is supported in part by the Ministry of Science and the Technology of the Republic of China under contract number MOST 108-2511-H-003-056-MY3.
Funding Information:
We would like to thank the Industry–University Cooperation Project supported by the Institute for Information Industry (III), Taiwan in 2019 so as to connect the companies with researchers. The company is NUWA Robotics Corp. We would like to thank the previously mentioned two institutions for providing the Robots named Kebbi for us to conduct the instructional experiments in Singapore. We also appreciate Long-Kai Wu for his gracious assistance in the data collection stage of the study.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the authors.
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - While the role of computational thinking (CT) has been widely reported in technology applications and further integrated into interdisciplinary learning, the integration of pedagogy-supported interdisciplinary activities for the empowerment of girls’ learning must not solely emphasise CT problem-solving skills. Rather, it must scaffold them with interactive learning that supports their characteristics while catering to gender equality. In this study, a gender-balanced interdisciplinary activity, integrating CT with Mandarin learning (ML), was designed for an elementary school in the Mandarin as a Second Language learning context using Social Robots (SRs). It sought to verify the results of the proposed method along with focused activities and interaction in an SR-integrated activity on the CT abilities and target-language learning of young learners. A total of 46 Grade 5 students, 26 boys and 20 girls, participated in the experiment. The study used a quasi-experimental method by examining the result of pre- and post-tests on language acquisition, programming self-efficacy, the educational robot attitude, and learning perceptions in the activity. The results indicated that there were no gender differences in terms of ML, self-efficacy in programming, or attitudes toward using SRs in the SR-integrated interdisciplinary activities. However, the boys and girls had different perceptions of learning. Suggestions for conducting SR-integrated interdisciplinary learning are given, along with pedagogical implications for the further promotion of women in technology.
AB - While the role of computational thinking (CT) has been widely reported in technology applications and further integrated into interdisciplinary learning, the integration of pedagogy-supported interdisciplinary activities for the empowerment of girls’ learning must not solely emphasise CT problem-solving skills. Rather, it must scaffold them with interactive learning that supports their characteristics while catering to gender equality. In this study, a gender-balanced interdisciplinary activity, integrating CT with Mandarin learning (ML), was designed for an elementary school in the Mandarin as a Second Language learning context using Social Robots (SRs). It sought to verify the results of the proposed method along with focused activities and interaction in an SR-integrated activity on the CT abilities and target-language learning of young learners. A total of 46 Grade 5 students, 26 boys and 20 girls, participated in the experiment. The study used a quasi-experimental method by examining the result of pre- and post-tests on language acquisition, programming self-efficacy, the educational robot attitude, and learning perceptions in the activity. The results indicated that there were no gender differences in terms of ML, self-efficacy in programming, or attitudes toward using SRs in the SR-integrated interdisciplinary activities. However, the boys and girls had different perceptions of learning. Suggestions for conducting SR-integrated interdisciplinary learning are given, along with pedagogical implications for the further promotion of women in technology.
KW - computational thinking
KW - educational robots
KW - game-based learning
KW - gender difference
KW - interdisciplinary activities
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U2 - 10.3390/su142416514
DO - 10.3390/su142416514
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85144874518
SN - 2071-1050
VL - 14
JO - Sustainability (Switzerland)
JF - Sustainability (Switzerland)
IS - 24
M1 - 16514
ER -