The field of early childhood education (ECE) has seen a rise in the use of programmable robotics to introduce coding, computational thinking (CT), and sequencing ability to young learners. While this approach has shown promise, there is still a need for further research to compare the effectiveness of robot programming with more traditional ECE activities. To address this gap, our study sought to investigate the effects of a robot programming intervention compared to a block play program on kindergarteners’ CT, sequencing ability and self-regulation.
The findings of our study, as reported by Yang et al. (2022), provide important insights into the potential benefits of incorporating programmable robotics into ECE curriculums and highlight the need for further research in this area.
Researchers have claimed that screen-free robot programming is a developmentally appropriate tool for enhancing young children’s STEM-related cognitive abilities, including CT and sequencing ability, in the context of ECE (Su et al., 2022). This approach has shown great promise in promoting children’s engagement with STEM subjects and developing their problem-solving skills. However, it is important to note that traditional ECE activities can also be highly effective in promoting children’s cognitive development.
For example, block play has been shown in prior research to promote children’s understanding of multiple concepts and skills, including maths thinking and even CT (Schmitt et al., 2018; Trawick-Smith et al., 2017).
