Exploring kindergarten teachers’ views on STEAM education and educational robotics: Dilemmas, possibilities, limitations

Abstract

This paper will refer to STEAM education, focusing first on clarifying the STEAM acronym and then on the principles on which this methodology is based. Suggested pedagogical practices that can be adopted to integrate STEAM education in the educational program will be presented, followed by a reference to the interdisciplinary approach of educational robotics and its introduction in kindergarten. The research part of this paper will include a survey conducted in kindergartens of Primary Education in the Third District of Athens. The research aimed to explore perceptions, possibilities, and limitations expressed by preschool teachers regarding STEAM methodology and the introduction of Educational Robotics in kindergarten. This research highlighted the need to implement innovative approaches and ensure teacher training, which should be strengthened and upgraded by incorporating STEAM pedagogy and new practices for teaching and learning.