Teachers’ and children’s use of words during early childhood STEM teaching supported by robotics.

The study investigates which words are used by kindergarten teachers and children during STEM activities (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in five different kindergartens in Sweden. The research question is: What characterises teachers' and children's use of words during STEM teaching supported by robotics, with and without robots?

The results highlight how digital programming and the use of robots can promote a more versatile use of robot words compared to analogue programming without robots. The researchers also found that the use of precise, decontextualised language by the kindergarten teacher appears to stimulate children's use of words related to STEM and the learning objectives.

16 children and five kindergarten teachers from five kindergartens in medium-sized cities in Sweden participated in the study. The data collection was conducted using video observation.

Fridberg, M., & Redfors, A. (2021). “Teachers’ and children’s use of words during early childhood STEM teaching supported by robotics”. International Journal of Early Years Education. DOI: 10.1080/09669760.2021.1892599.