Ross Higashi
Papers
7
Total Citations
397
H-Index
7
About
Ross Higashi is an education researcher whose work sits at the intersection of computational thinking, robotics education, and equity in STEM learning. His most influential contribution, "Developing Computational Thinking through a Virtual Robotics Programming Curriculum" (2017, 148 citations), established an empirical foundation for using robotics environments to teach core computer science principles in K–12 settings — a field where rigorous evaluation had been notably scarce. Higashi's scholarship consistently interrogates not just whether robotics programs work, but for whom, making equity a central lens. His 2016 study on gender, interest, and prior experience (81 citations) revealed that access to programming roles within competitive robotics teams is far from equal, drawing attention to structural barriers that can replicate broader disparities in computer science. His research on team collaboration quality (77 citations) further enriched the field by connecting interpersonal dynamics to actual tournament performance. Beyond participation, Higashi has explored how students engage with mathematical reasoning through engineering challenges and how attention to programming features shapes both learning and motivation. More recently, his work on co-robotic game design points toward innovative pedagogical futures that rethink the human-machine relationship in educational contexts. Collectively, his contributions have meaningfully shaped how educators design and evaluate robotics-based learning experiences.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 7The Design of Co-Robotic Games for Computer Science Education7 citations · 2021