English abstract
There has recently been a renewed interest in integrating computational
thinking skills into the school curriculum. Still, much remains to be done to
understand the convenient ways to introduce them to young students. This research
aimed to study the effects of WeDo 2.0 robot workshop on grade five students'
acquisition of the computational thinking concepts (CTCs) and their acceptance of
the robot technology used. A quasi-experimental method, One-Group Pretest-Posttest
design, was adopted to achieve the research objectives. The sample consisted of
thirty-five male and female students aged 11-12 years. The experimental group (n =
35) participated in an informal five days' robot workshop held in the Science and
Technology Centre in Al-Dakhliya region. Students got four hours of daily training
for five days (A total of 20 hours) on the computational thinking concepts using
WeDo 2.0 robot. Data were collected using two instruments: (1) pre-post
computational thinking concepts test (2) Technology Acceptance questionnaire. The
pre-posttest was implemented to measure students' acquisition of computational
thinking concepts (CTCs). The test consisted of 16 questions and aimed to assess the
students' understanding in three dimensions of the computational thinking concepts
(CTCs): Sequential control flow, Loops, and Conditionals. Seven experts determined
the pre-posttest content validity, and the internal consistency reliability (an alpha
coefficient of 0.73) of the test was measured before using it. The questionnaire was
implemented at the end of the training workshop to measure students' acceptance of
robot technology using an extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Data
were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software.
The findings of the study showed a significant improvement in grade five students'
acquisition of CTCs after attending the robot workshop and a positive acceptance of
robot technology. In light of the research findings, implications and
recommendations for future research were outlined.
