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CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

For the past years, technology is being integrated in learning for students to have

more engagement in their lessons which results to enhancement of learning and teaching,

equip our children and young people with vital digital skills and crucially, it can lead to

improved educational (Edinburg, 2016). As we learn many things about technology, interest

in robotics arises from it. That’s why, many researches have become increasingly interested

in studying about the robotics and how it affects student, not to mention the fact that

robotics became a special program by some schools for students to have some basic

knowledge about it. Its goal is described as “gracious professionalism”, to make it simple, it

is the ability of working together within a team and work cooperatively with other teams

(Melchoie, Cohen, Cutter & Leavitt, 2005). The studies that was conducted earlier have

suggested that students who participated in robotics developed research skills, strategizing

and problem solving, increased their knowledge about science and technology and its

careers (Melchoie, Cohen, Cutter & Leavitt, 2005), strengthens skills in math and science

with the use of problem solving, trial and error and inquiry skills (Rogers & Portsmore,

2004), that’s why substantial increase in test scores in math, science, writing plus completed

assignments were observed in students who participated in robotics, and it was a promising
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improvement compared to prior years (Honey & Henriquez, 1996; Boaler, 1999; Lauwers,

Nourbakhsh and Hamner, 2009).

While many existing studies have clearly established the relevance of robotics in the

aspect of academics wherein data about test scores was prominently prioritized, only

limited researches aims to study the effects of robotics on students’ teamwork and cognitive

skills. The researchers want to focus more on how robotics affects students in the aspect of

teamwork and cognitive skills instead of academically since according to Hargreaves

(2009) the root of high scores on academic or government required tests are innovation,

creativity and exploration. These three things must be included in a classroom to achieve

improvements not only socially, but academically.

This research will focus on how robotics programs affect students learning and skills,

specifically their teamwork and cognitive skills. The researchers also want to raise other

students’ interest in robotics and present a better attitude towards robotics. We will support

this research by having an interview with random senior high school students, aged 16-18,

who either participated in an after school program of robotics or competed in a robotics

competition. The following respondents will be from a Philippine setting, specifically the

schools: University of the East Caloocan, Panghulo National High School, Tinajeros

National High School, Valenzuela Mathematics and Science High School and Quezon City

Science High School. The researches have organized the rest of this paper in the following

order: Chapter 1) Introduction, Chapter 2) Framework of the Study, Chapter 3) Research

Design, Chapter 4) Analysis and Interpretation of data, and Chapter 5) Summary of

Findings, Conclusion, and Recommendation.

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Statement of the Problem

This study focuses on the effects of Robotics program to the students. Guided by the

researchers' objective, this study aims to answer the following questions:

1. How can it affect their teamwork?

1.1. Coordination

1.2. Collaboration

2. What is the impact on their cognitive skills?

2.1. Analyzing

2.2. Problem solving

3. How does knowing the effects of robotics in terms of teamwork associated to

knowing the effects in terms of cognitive skills?

Significance of the Study

This study is beneficial to the following:

1. Students will be more engaged in robotics which can help their cognitive skills as

well. This study aims to know the positive outcomes of robotics to students. In which,

students will be interviewed regarding how it affects their performance in school as well as

their knowledge about robotics.

2. Teachers will benefit to the study in a way that they can use this study as a basis to

change their students’ perspective on robotics. They can use this study to motivate their

students on participating on after school programs of robotics in their school.

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3. Researchers will become more engaged in their community especially in robotics.

This will also improve their critical thinking skills and team work. By conducting this study,

the researchers can motivate people, particularly to students, to engage in robotics programs.

4. Future researchers will gather information in this study about the cognitive skills

that people can get, particularly to students, in engaging to robotics programs. The

researchers will use interview as a method to gather information. This study will also serve as

a footnote for further studies that can generate new discoveries for future researchers, making

it a useful reference for more studies in the future.

Scope and Limitation

This study will be conducted to the students of different schools from Caloocan,

Malabon, Valenzuela and Quezon City area who joined the afterschool program which were

self-determined by the researchers were mixed in the same amount of the students who

participated Robotics competitions for the experiment.

The method used was Interview to know how it affects and improves their teamwork

and intellectual skills through the programs.

The gathered data will come from the interviews.

Due to the limited capability, knowledge, budget and time of the researchers, this

study will not cover the different robotics applied to different schools.