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Examining the Effectiveness of a Professional Development Program: Integration of Educational Robotics into Science and Mathematics Curricula

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Abstract

This study describes a professional development (PD) program designed to support middle school teachers in effectively integrating robotics in science and mathematics classrooms. The PD program encouraged the teachers to develop their own science and mathematics lessons, aligned with national standards, infused with robotic activities. A multi-week summer PD and sustained academic year follow-up imparted to the teachers the technical knowledge and skills of robotics as well as an understanding of when and how to use robotics in science and mathematics teaching. The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of the robotics-integrated PD program through the changes of teachers’ technological-pedagogical-and-content knowledge self-efficacy, the improvement in their content knowledge of robotics in the context of science and mathematics teaching, and their reflections on the PD. The 41 participants consisted of 20 mathematics and 20 science teachers and one teacher who teaches both subjects. Three instruments were administered to the teachers during the PD, and follow-up interviews were conducted to further examine benefits and possible impacts on their teaching resulting from the PD. The data were analyzed by both statistical and qualitative methods to identify the effectiveness of the PD. The findings of the study indicate that the PD program was effective in increasing participants’ robotics content knowledge and confidence and outcome expectancy while integrating robotics in their teaching practices. Based on teacher reflections and follow-up interviews, this study offers guidelines for future development of technology-integrated science and mathematics teaching.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the middle-school teachers for their participation in this study.

Funding

This work is supported in part by the National Science Foundation grants DRK-12 DRL: 1417769, ITEST DRL: 1614085, and RET Site EEC: 1542286, and NY Space Grant Consortium grant 76156-10488.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical Sciences Department, Arkansas Tech University, Russellville, AR, 72801, USA

    Hye Sun You

  2. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY, 11201, USA

    Sonia Mary Chacko & Vikram Kapila

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  1. Hye Sun You
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Correspondence to Vikram Kapila.

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You, H.S., Chacko, S.M. & Kapila, V. Examining the Effectiveness of a Professional Development Program: Integration of Educational Robotics into Science and Mathematics Curricula. J Sci Educ Technol 30, 567–581 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-021-09903-6

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