Robots – Stimulating Interest and Motivating Learning in Science and Technology

Abstract

Nowadays the importance of science and technology is recognized all around the world. Especially for the students, how to arouse their interest and inspire their motivation toward science and technology becomes a hot topic for researchers and educators. The aim of the study is to evaluate how a robot (or a group of robots) can stimulate college students' interest in science & technology and motivate them to learn science & technology. A case study was conducted in the Macau University of Science and Technology where robots were brought in the campus in September 2017. An online questionnaire survey was carried and the data were analyzed by using SmartPLS. Results show that the appearance and functionality of robots have positive effects on the interest in robots, and the interest in robots further influences the interest in science and technology, then, it finally motivates students to learn science and technology.