Evaluating the Effects of Educational Robotics Activities Concerning the Interest in STEM and Collaboration Skills

Abstract

Due to the general lack of technically qualified personnel, a goal of Austria and Slovakia is to increase the interest in STEM by students. Educational robotics activities are an effective tool to foster the interest in STEM. A further goal is to foster collaboration skills, which are part of the 21st-century skills. One strategy to implement educational robotics activities sustainably in the educational system is to offer activities in schools and universities. In this context we carried out a study to examine the effects of educational robotics activities on the students’ interest in STEM and their collaboration skills. The participants were 788 students from secondary schools in the age range from 10 to 21 years. The evaluation was carried out with questionnaires before and after the activities. This paper provides the evaluation. The results of the evaluation prove the effect of the educational robotics activities in fostering collaboration and interest in STEM based on hands-on activities.