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About

Lailin Hu is an educational technology researcher whose work sits at the dynamic intersection of robotics education, computational thinking, and early childhood learning. Specializing in K-12 and preschool contexts, Hu has made significant contributions to understanding how young learners engage with programming and robotics, particularly through innovative pedagogical approaches. Their most-cited work (32 citations) introduced an embodied learning-based computer programming approach to robotics education, directly addressing the challenge students face when grappling with abstract programming concepts. Building on this, Hu developed a metaphor-based robot programming framework to cultivate computational thinking and positive learning behaviors in young children, accumulating 19 citations. A notable comparative study (18 citations) examined the relative effectiveness of unplugged versus robot programming activities in fostering computational thinking and executive functions in preschoolers, providing practical guidance for early educators. Hu has also pioneered the use of the Draw-A-Robot Test as a diagnostic tool for gauging elementary students' perceptions of robots across multiple studies. More recently, their work on incremental project-based robot programming further extends this research agenda. Collectively, Hu's scholarship offers educators evidence-based strategies for making robotics and programming accessible and meaningful to the youngest learners.