Creative performance in an educational robotics competition

Abstract

Educational robotics is an emerging approach to foster creativity and develop scientific and technological skills among students. However, there is a need for evaluations that assess the potential of this technological resource in the learning process. This non-experimental, correlational study aimed to propose an evaluation model to deepen the understanding of the impact of robotics on students' creative productions. The sample consisted of 46 Brazilian teams, divided between Middle School and High School. Specifically, the study sought to analyze creativity using secondary data from evaluations conducted by judges after a robotics competition. The evaluations were used to categorize the items into dependent and independent variables, defined according to the 7 Cs theoretical model. The main variables analyzed were Creators, Collaborations, Creating, and Creations. A multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the variables Creators and Creating had a significantly positive influence (p<.005) on creative performance (Creations). Additionally, an interaction analysis indicated that the impact of Creating on Creations varied depending on the levels of Creators. Specifically, at lower levels of Creators, an increase in Creating is associated with a more pronounced growth in Creations. Conversely, at higher levels of Creators, the influence of Creating became more moderate. Additional analyses of the Scientific Merit (SM) and Technology and Engineering (TE) subcategories demonstrated that both positively influenced Creations, with TE showing a slightly stronger correlation. These results suggested that the characteristics of the creators (Creators) and the creation process (Creating) were fundamental to creative performance (Creations) in this competition.