Educational Robotics and Down syndrome: Investigating student performance and motivation

This paper addresses the implementation of a particular didactic scenario using educational robotics in special education and examines its impacts. It reports on a single subject experiment study which involved the design, implementation and evaluation of a didactic intervention in which a child with Down syndrome (CDS) constructed and programmed a programmable robot, using the Lego Wedo 2.0 kit, in order to learn about one particular subject of History (the Odyssey in Greek Mythology). The research questions are related to the impact of this particular educational robotics intervention on the performance of the child and the motivation to participate. The qualitative results collected through initial/final evaluations, interviews and non-participative observation are very encouraging. It seems that there was a positive effect both on the performance and motivation of the child. Educational robotics seem to offer new opportunities and potentials in alternative education of children with Down syndrome.