Raising Motivation of Programming Novices? Findings from a Controlled Laboratory Experiment Using Anki Vector^TM Robots

摘要

In order to strengthen the interest of students in the field of programming, robots are increasingly being used in courses of study with information technology content. This article describes the use of the robot Vector, manufactured by Anki, in a controlled laboratory experiment with undergraduate students. The aim of the research was to investigate the influence of robots on the motivation of programming beginners from the perspective of the students. The data of the study was collected using the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory. The subsequent analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and Chi <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> -tests. In addition, a computer-aided content analysis as well as a factor analysis was used as a second evaluation method. The research results showed a consistently positive influence of the Vector robot on the motivational behavior of the students. In particular, significant dependencies between the female gender and individual subcategories of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory could be demonstrated. The generalization of the research results is limited due to the small sample size and the exclusive participation of programming beginners.