Enhancing preschoolers' spatial skills in a teaching experiment with educational robotics

Spyros Kourias
University of Thessaly, Greece

The present paper draws on research experiences matured during systematic research and focuses on the potential and processes of scaffolding the development of preschoolers' spatial skills, through engagement in coding activities within the context of a teaching experiment. Children of two urban kindergartens, aged between 4-6, took part in a 4-month teaching experiment and participated in a series of activities that involved collaborative pseudocode development and wider coding and problem-solving practices. The research data is based on an on-site observation log, interviews, video footage, dialogue transcriptions, designs, and "coding flowcharts" created by the children themselves, with the aim of capturing their overall experience, documenting and interpreting it in a systematic way under a wider sociocultural perspective. The qualitative data analysis led us to the conclusion that it seems possible to trigger the development of preschoolers' specific spatial skills and awareness by actively engaging them in educational robotics scenarios. Such opportunities provide access to a variety of mental tools and prioritise social interaction and peer learning as a foundation for building new knowledge.
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Author: Dr Spyros Kourias (corresponding author) is an educational technologist and his main research interests include the effectiveness of Maker Movement, educational robotics, coding, and 'Internet of things' methodologies in the context of non-formal education and technologically enhanced instructional design. He holds an MSc in EduTech from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and a PhD from the University of Thessaly in the field of educational robotics in early childhood education. He serves as Adjunct Lecturer in Constructionist Technologies at the Departments of Early Childhood Education (undergraduate course) and Electrical & Computer Engineering (Postgraduate course) of the UTh while he has successfully implemented several R&D funded projects regarding technology-enhanced education since 2012. Dr Kourias is also one of the founding members of TALOS Lab [https://www.taloslab.gr/] for which he is in charge as a project leader, educational technologist mentor and animator since 2016. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4383-1846 Email: kourias@uth.gr Please cite as: Kourias, S. (2025). Enhancing preschoolers' spatial skills in a teaching experiment with educational robotics. Issues in Educational Research, 35(4), 1585-1604. http://www.iier.org.au/iier35/kourias.pdf