LEARNING WITH LEGO EV3 ROBOTICS FOR STUDENTS WITH ASD AND EMOTIONAL DIFFICULTIES IN A MIDDLE SCHOOL IN ILION, GREECE: A PILOT STUDY

Theodora Kavoura, Aggeliki Psoma

Abstract


This study investigates the effectiveness of collaborative learning using LEGO EV3 robotics in a mixed abilities public middle school classroom in Ilion, Greece, consisting of typically developing students along with two students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and social and emotional difficulties. This study uses a collaborative learning approach in which students work together in groups to complete tasks, with an emphasis on developing social and cognitive skills. The methodology includes an introductory two-week period in which students work on group assignments, followed by an eight-week period in which students build and program a LEGO EV3 robot. Data was collected through observation and interviews with students. The results show that the use of cooperative learning and LEGO EV3 robotics was effective in improving social and cognitive skills in students with ASD and social-emotional difficulties, as well as in the whole class. The class also created strong bonds through teamwork, and this helped all the children to improve their performance. The findings have implications for educators looking for innovative ways to engage students with diverse learning needs in the classroom.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter


Keywords


inclusive education, community building, collaborative learning, STEM

Full Text:

PDF

References


Albo-Canal J, Heerink M, Diaz M, Padillo V, Maristany M, Barco A., ... & Rogers C, 2013, August. Comparing two LEGO Robotics-based interventions for social skills training with children with ASD. In 2013 IEEE RO-MAN, Gyeongju, Korea (South), 2013, pp. 638-643, doi: 10.1109/ROMAN.2013.6628420.

Bellini S, Akullian J, 2007. A meta-analysis of video modeling and video self-modeling interventions for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Exceptional Children. 73(3), 264-287. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290707300301

Benton L, Johnson H, Ashwin E, Brosnan M, & Grawemeyer B, 2012, May. Developing IDEAS: Supporting children with autism within a participatory design team. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems (CHI '12). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 2599–2608. https://doi.org/10.1145/2207676.2208650

Bers M U, Flannery L, Kazakoff E R, & Sullivan A, 2014. Computational thinking and tinkering: Exploration of an early childhood robotics curriculum. Computers & Education, 72, 145-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2013.10.020.

Daoudy H, & Verstraeten M, 2013. Team Dynamics and the Marshmallow Challenge: studying team performance and personal satisfaction with a focus on verbal interactions. Working Papers CEB, 13. Retrieved from https://ideas.repec.org/p/sol/wpaper/2013-138387.html

Dugan E, Kamps D, Leonard B, Watkins N, Rheinberger A, & Stackhaus J, 1995. Effects of cooperative learning groups during social studies for students with autism and fourth‐grade peers. Journal of applied behavior analysis, 28(2), 175-188 doi: 10.1901/jaba.1995.28-175.

Gkiolnta E, Zygopoulou M, & Syriopoulou-Delli C K, 2023. Robot programming for a child with autism spectrum disorder: a pilot study. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 69(3), 424-431. doi: 10.1080/20473869.2023.2194568.

Grey I M, Bruton C, Honan R, McGuinness R, & Daly M, 2007. Co‐operative learning for children with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in mainstream and special class settings: an exploratory study. Educational Psychology in Practice, 23(4), 317-327. doi: 10.1080/02667360701660936

Hume K, Loftin R, Lantz J, 2009. Increasing independence in autism spectrum disorders: A review of three focused interventions. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 39(9). 1329-1338. doi: 10.1007/s10803-009-0751-2

Kalaitzidou M, & Pachidis T P, 2023. Recent Robots in STEAM Education. Education Sciences, 13(3), 272. doi: 10.3390/educsci13030272

Kasari C, Rotheram‐Fuller E, Locke J, & Gulsrud A, 2012. Making the connection: Randomized controlled trial of social skills at school for children with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, 53(4), 431-439. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02493.x

Kilty T J, & Burrows A C, 2022. Integrated STEM and partnerships: What to do for more effective teams in informal settings. Education Sciences, 12(1), 58. doi: 10.3390/educsci12010058

Koller D, & Stoddart K, 2021, August. Approaches that address social inclusion for children with disabilities: A critical review. In Child & Youth Care Forum (Vol. 50, pp. 679-699). Springer US. doi: 10.1007/s10566-020-09589-8

Li M, & Lam B H, 2013. Cooperative learning. The Hong Kong Institute of Education, 1-33. Retrieved from https://www.eduhk.hk/aclass/Theories/cooperativelearningcoursewriting_LBH%2024June.pdf

Moreno-Ger P, Burgos D, Martínez-Ortiz I, Sierra J L, & Fernández-Manjón B, 2008. Educational game design for online education. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(6), 2530-2540. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2008.03.012

Nanou A, Tsiomi E, Oikonomou A, & Karampatzakis D, 2021. The SAS strategy training for children with ASD in inclusive educational robotics activities. Education. Innovation. Diversity., 2(3), 34-52. doi: 10.17770/eid2021.2.6723

Neyem A, Benedetto J I, & Chacon A F, 2014, March. Improving software engineering education through an empirical approach: lessons learned from capstone teaching experiences. In Proceedings of the 45th ACM technical symposium on Computer science education (pp. 391-396). doi: 10.1145/2538862.2538920

Raver C C, & Knitzer J, 2002. Ready to enter: What research tells policymakers about strategies to promote social and emotional school readiness among three-and four-year-old children. National Center for Children in Poverty. doi: 10.7916/D82V2QVX

Syriopoulou-Delli C, & Gkiolnta E, 2021. Robotics and inclusion of students with disabilities in special education. Research, Society and Development, 10(9), e36210918238-e36210918238. doi: 10.33448/rsd-v10i9.18238

Tsay M, & Brady M, 2010. A case study of cooperative learning and communication pedagogy: Does working in teams make a difference?. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 78-89.




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejse.v10i4.5399

Copyright © 2015 - 2023. European Journal of Special Education Research (ISSN 2501 - 2428) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms.

All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).