Fostering Digital Literacy Through Creative Learning Approaches with Educational Robots

Abstract

In our increasingly digitalized world, fostering digital literacy in education has become essential. Given the need to prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, this study investigates how creative learning approaches in conjunction with educational robots can significantly contribute to the development of these skills. Building on insights from prior research and existing literature, this study addresses key challenges in integrating digital tools into education, such as variability in resources and teachers’ confidence in delivering STEM content. A literature-based approach was employed to explore effective pedagogical methods and to develop a framework for teacher training (TT) tailored to incorporating educational robots. The findings emphasize the importance of inquiry-based and experiential learning strategies, highlighting their potential to enhance students’ engagement, creativity, and collaboration while building critical Computational Thinking (CT) skills. Additionally, the analysis identifies core components for successful TT, including fostering content knowledge, pedagogical strategies, and confidence in using educational robots. These results provide a foundation for developing targeted training modules aimed at equipping teachers with skills needed to implement innovative STEM and digital literacy programs. The study concludes by outlining plans for future research, focusing on implementing and evaluating the proposed training framework in real-world educational settings, ensuring its scalability and effectiveness. This research contributes to advancing STEM education and digital literacy through creative, technology-enhanced learning methods.

Keywords: Educational Robots; Digital Literacy; STEM Education; Teacher Training; Technology Integration

DOI: 10.7176/JEP/16-5-07

Publication date: May 30^th 2025