A Study of Thinking

The following section, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Operations, provides an overview of the consolidated financial statements of Fujitsu Limited (the “Company”) and its consolidated subsidiaries (together, the “Group”) for the year ended March 31, 2008 (fiscal 2007). Forward-looking statements in this section are based on management’s understanding and best judgment as of March 31, 2008.

Annual Report 2008

We report a research project with a purpose of helping teachers learn how to design and implement science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) lessons using robotics. Specifically, pre-service teachers' STEM engagement, learning, and teaching via robotics were investigated in an elementary teacher preparation course. Data were collected from surveys, classroom observations, interviews, and lesson plans. Both quantitative and qualitative data analyses indicated that pre-service teachers engaged in robotics activities actively and mindfully. Their STEM engagement improved overall. Their emotional engagement (e.g., interest, enjoyment) in STEM significantly improved and in turn influenced their behavioral and cognitive engagement in STEM. Their lesson designs showed their STEM teaching was developing in productive directions although further work was needed. These findings suggest that robotics can be used as a technology in activities designed to enhance teachers' STEM engagement and teaching through improved attitudes toward STEM. Future research and teacher education recommendations are also presented. The preparation of elementary teachers to teach STEM via robotics was studied.Integrative STEM education was highlighted.The lens of engagement theory was used to examine teacher learning and performance.Productive struggles while learning to program were showcased.The potential of robotics to enhance teachers' STEM engagement and teaching is discussed.

Robotics to promote elementary education pre-service teachers' STEM engagement, learning, and teaching

Artificial Intelligence (AI) already plays a major role in our daily life (e.g. intelligent household appliances like robotic vacuum cleaners or AI-based applications like Google Maps, Google Now, Siri, Cortana, …). Sound knowledge about AI and the principles of computer science will be of vast importance for future careers in science and engineering. Looking towards the near future, jobs will largely be related to AI. In this context literacy in AI and computer science will become as important as classic literacy (reading/writing). By using an analogy with this process we developed a novel AI education concept aiming at fostering AI literacy. The concept comprises modules for different age groups on different educational levels. Fundamental AI/computer science topics addressed in each module are, amongst others, problem solving by search, sorting, graphs and data structures. We developed, conducted and evaluated four proof-of-concepts modules focusing on kindergarten/primary school as well as middle school, high school and university. Preliminary results of the pilot implementations indicate that the proposed AI education concept aiming at fostering AI literacy works.

Artificial intelligence and computer science in education: From kindergarten to university

The current impetus for increasing STEM in K-12 education calls for an examination of how preservice teachers are being prepared to teach STEM. This paper reports on a study that examined elementary preservice teachers’ (n = 21) self-efficacy, understanding of science concepts, and computational thinking as they engaged with robotics in a science methods course. Data collection methods included pretests and posttests on science content, prequestionnaires and postquestionnaires for interest and self-efficacy, and four programming assignments. Statistical results showed that preservice teachers’ interest and self-efficacy with robotics increased. There was a statistically significant difference between preknowledge and postknowledge scores, and preservice teachers did show gains in learning how to write algorithms and debug programs over repeated programming tasks. The findings suggest that the robotics activity was an effective instructional strategy to enhance interest in robotics, increase self-efficacy to teach with robotics, develop understandings of science concepts, and promote the development of computational thinking skills. Study findings contribute quantitative evidence to the STEM literature on how robotics develops preservice teachers’ self-efficacy, science knowledge, and computational thinking skills in higher education science classroom contexts.

Effect of Robotics on Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Self-Efficacy, Science Learning, and Computational Thinking

There has been a growing interest in using robots for science education in schools. This paper focuses mainly on robots used as tools to teach STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) subjects in school, e.g. according to K-12 curriculum (K-12 is a shortening of kindergarten through twelfth grade). Robotics used at universities is mostly object-based, which means that students learn robotics with robots. Robotics became an issue of education in the 1960s when Papert introduced the programming language LOGO and the floor turtle—a robot that can execute commanding directions by connecting to a computer (Papert, 1980). Turtle robot was able to draw its moving trajectory on the floor and because of that ability, it was possible to draw trigonometric shapes. Turtle robot was developed in cooperation with Marvin Minsky, who was the first to encourage children in the new MIT Children’s Laboratory to learn to control a small robot (Minsky, 1986). Together they integrated a control system into LOGO. The target group of educational robotics was addressed in the 1980s by the Educational Products Department in the LEGO Group. Eventually, this department was renamed LEGO Dacta, whose purpose was to expand the educational possibilities of LEGO toys. Work on educational toys and especially robotics increased in 1998 when LEGO Education (formerly LEGO Dacta) released the educational pioneering concept Mindstorms. The core of Mindstorms was RCX, an intelligent and programmable LEGO brick. The successful start of educational robotics with RCX in first decade of the 21st century brought attention to other companies with educational robotics production, like FischerTehnik Computing, Robotis Bioloid, and Robotis Ollo. In 2007, LEGO Education released the next level of RCX, called NXT. Mindstorms NXT enabled users to use more sensors, newer motors, and more complicated programming languages like NXT-G and LabVIEW. In LeARnInG APPRoACHes to APPLYInG RoBotICs In sCIenCe eDUCAtIon

Learning approaches to applying robotics in science education

There is high demand for qualified Information and Communication Technology (ICT) practitioners in the European labor market. In Estonia, the problem is not a low number of ICT students but a high dropout rate. The aim of this study is to find how it is possible to predict first-year dropout in higher education ICT studies and possibly to engage methods to decrease dropout rate. Data was collected from 301 first-year ICT students in Estonia who filled in a questionnaire at the beginning of the first semester and after the first semester. Additionally, some information was collected electronically during the admission process. The results showed that on average, 32.2% of the ICT students in Estonia dropped out during the first study-year. It was found that students who dropped out had lower scores in the state mathematics exam. This means that the score of the mathematics exam is one characteristic that can predict dropout during the first study-year. At the beginning of the studies there were not many differences in students' perception of their interest and how well the studies met their expectations. However, the answers received after the first semester showed some statistically significant differences between the students who dropped out during the first study-year and those who did not. Differences occurred, e.g., in the case of the following questions: how big their interest in ICT was, how well the studies met their expectations, how pleasant studying was for them, and how high they felt was the probability of them finishing their studies. It can be concluded that asking questions after the first semester gives information to universities as to who are about to drop out. Based on the information universities can support their students to retain them. The results support some factors that were found in literature to be important for avoiding dropout (e.g., motivation, earned credit points, prior studies, expectations), but in some cases the results of this study are different than the literature suggests (e.g., age, gender, working during studies, number of friends in the ICT field). It could be that these factors are not that important in influencing first-year dropout in ICT studies.

First-year dropout in ICT studies

There is a high demand for qualified information and communication technology (ICT) practitioners in the European labor market. According to recent reports, ICT companies want to hire thousands of ICT specialists but are unable to find the talent. A problem at many universities is a high dropout rate among ICT students, especially during the first year. Therefore, educational research is needed to help universities and ICT companies develop activities to recruit and retain ICT students. To begin to understand the problem of dropouts, it is important to explore what has influenced first-year students to study ICT. Data were collected in the autumn of 2013 from 517 first-year students who started their studies in ICT-related curricula at the three main universities in Estonia where ICT is taught. During the first month of their studies, the students answered a questionnaire that contained multiple-choice and open-ended questions. The results showed surprisingly that a good salary in the ICT field is not a very important reason why students are interested in studying ICT. However, owning a personal computer at a young age had a very large influence on their curriculum choice. Reasons for choosing to work while simultaneously studying ICT at university were also investigated. Financial situation and work experience were the main reasons why students would choose to start working while studying. This study shows that the majority of first-year students are certain that they will finish their studies; however, about one-tenth of the students report a probability of finishing less than 60%. Longitudinal data are necessary to show if and how students’ motivation changes during their studies and how universities can prevent the problem of high dropout rates in ICT studies.

What influences students to study information and communication technology

Recent studies show that pupils are very enthusiastic when using robotic systems and robots in schools. However, these are mainly used only in extracurricular activities to learn about the robots, take part in different contests or for research purposes. The research and practice of integrating web-enhanced learning environments and inquiry learning with robots is almost absent. The purpose of this paper is to present preliminary results of such a pilot study conducted in Estonia. Pupils used web-based worksheets, robots and a programming environment to conduct an inquiry experiment in physics. These worksheets consisted of two principal parts that followed the hypothesis and the experiment space of inquiry cycle. First results indicated that pupils manage fine in such an environment and acquire more knowledge through practical tests and inquiry learning with the use of robots.

Educational Robotics and Inquiry Learning: A Pilot Study in a Web-Based Learning Environment

Robots have been applied in science education for a long time. Inquiry-based learning, as a student-centred method to discover different relations, has been considered as an effective learning approach in science education and robots are often used to apply student-guided inquiry. It is, however, not clear what the effect of inquiry-based scenarios is in learning science when students’ motivation and novelty effect are taken into account. In our study, we tested seven inquiry-based scenarios in secondary school physics with a sample of 47 students in the experiment classes and 41 in the control classes. Results revealed that the inquire-based scenarios improved students’ inquiry skills and subject knowledge and skills in the case of the experiment classes and also in the case of the control classes. Study motivation did not improve in the study, explained by the fact that the schools have used robots previously in learning and the novelty effect has faded out. Based on our discussion, the use of robots in education needs to focus more on supporting students’ thinking activities and on increasing their awareness about their own skills and learning process. Further studies are needed to understand in-depth how teachers’ activities in the classroom might have an effect on the usability of robots in education and how students’ thinking and awareness of the learning process could be improved in order to have a stronger effect on learning outcomes as well.

/pdf/does-inquiry-based-education-using-robots-have-an-effect-on-3ytpwt4nbo.pdf

Does Inquiry-based Education Using Robots Have an Effect on Learners’ Inquiry Skills, Subject Knowledge and Skills, and Motivation?

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