Exploring the factors that influence the recommendation of educational robotics courses for elementary school students.

Abstract

Technology education is becoming increasingly prevalent in the global educational landscape, and robots, as intelligent tools, have been widely implemented in educational settings. This study aims to explore the key factors that influence elementary school students to recommend educational robotics courses. Through quantitative analysis, the objective is to deeply understand the variables affecting students' willingness to recommend and to assess the explanatory power of these variables on students' recommendation behavior. The participants were 468 students, aged 9 to 11, from 18 elementary schools in Hsinchu City. After completing the robotics course, these students filled out questionnaires that primarily assessed their satisfaction with the course, the practicality of the course, and their experiences of interaction and cooperation during the learning process. The results indicate that students' enjoyment of learning with robots, their enhanced feelings of cooperation with classmates, and their plans to use robots for future programming education significantly positively influence their willingness to recommend robotics courses. Particularly, the enhancement of students' enjoyment and teamwork skills significantly increased their likelihood of recommending robotics courses. These findings not only confirm the effectiveness of educational robotics but also highlight the importance of creating a supportive and interactive learning environment for students.