Collaboration by Design: Using Robotics to Foster Social Interaction in Kindergarten

Abstract

Research shows the importance of social interaction between peers in child development. Although technology can foster peer interactions, teachers often struggle with teaching with technology. This study examined a sample of (n = 19) children participating in a kindergarten robotics summer workshop to determine the effect of teaching using a structured versus unstructured robotics curriculum on fostering peer-to-peer collaborative interactions. Results indicated that using a structured curriculum was associated with significantly less collaboration than an unstructured curriculum. Findings from this study indicated that to foster peer collaboration, a less structured learn-by-doing approach might be useful for teachers when integrating technology.