Effects of robot for teaching geometry to fourth graders

Abstract

The results of the TIMSS 2007 (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, 2008) show that in comparison with their academic achievement in mathematics, South Korean students’ interest and efficacy in and self-concept in relation to the discipline rank relatively low. In the effort to help address this issue, this study investigated the effects of the implementation of robot in an elementary-level Korean math class, examining student cognitive and affective domains before, immediately after, and three months after treatment. The participants in this study were 121 fourth graders (11 to 12 years old) at a public elementary school in an urban district in Korea. The participants were randomly selected from four classes and then randomly assigned to either the “Robot” group (58 children) or the “Ruler & Protractor” group (63 children). Our findings are as follows: concerning student achievement in the cognitive domain, no statistically significant result was found. As for the affective domain, after treatment, the Robot group’s levels of interest and curiosity toward mathematics and participation in their mathematics class were statistically higher than those of the Ruler & Protractor group. This remained true at the delayed posttest. A correlation analysis between achievements in cognitive domain, results of the observation test during class, and results of the self-assessment test in affective domain showed that in the case of the Ruler & Protractor group, their instruction in mathematics class only contributed to cognitive domain. However, in the case of the Robot group, treatment contributed to both cognitive and affective domains. In conclusion, robots have potential to replace traditional ruler and protractor use in geometry education from the perspective of their effects on cognitive and affective domains.