Put Your Robot in, Put Your Robot out: Sequencing through Programming Robots in Early Childhood

Abstract

This article examines the impact of programming robots on sequencing ability in early childhood. Thirty-four children (ages 4.5–6.5 years) participated in computer programming activities with a developmentally appropriate tool, CHERP, specifically designed to program a robot's behaviors. The children learned to build and program robots over three sessions, of 1.5 hours duration each, in a laboratory setting. The participants' sequencing skills were assessed before and after the intervention using a picture-story sequencing task. Pre- and post-test scores were compared using a paired sample t-test. A significant increase in post-test scores compared to pre-test scores was found.