Robotics Intervention to Enhance Computational Thinking in Pre-Service Teacher Education

Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of an educational robotics intervention on Computational Thinking (CT) development in pre-service Early Childhood Education teachers and its effect on disparities related to gender and family background. A quasi-experimental design with a control group was employed with 127 participants. The experimental group undertook a multi-session robotics program integrating theory and practice, while the control group received conventional instruction. Results indicate the intervention group achieved significantly higher and substantial gains across all five assessed CT dimensions: creativity, algorithmic thinking, cooperativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Importantly, a strong equalizing effect was observed. Performance gaps based on gender and the initial advantage for students with STEM-educated relatives, both present in the control group, were eliminated in the experimental cohort. These findings affirm educational robotics as a powerful pedagogical tool, effective both for building essential 21st-century competencies and for fostering greater equity in the foundational training of educators.