The effects of STEM based Arduino robotic activities on the academic achievement and engineering design process in teaching of the nervous system

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of STEM-based Arduino Robotic activities on pre-service teachers academic achievement and engineering design process skills in teaching the nervous system. In this study; ın the teaching of the nervous system, within the scope of Robotic STEM based Arduino Robotic activities, pre-service teachers; an experimental research has been designed to design and program the structural features of nerve and sensory cells and the impulse (neural message) transmission by adapting the circuit elements, sensors and actuators connected to the Arduino microcontroller board as nerve and sensory cells. In this research, "single group pre-test and post-test experimental research model", which is one of the experimental research models, has been adopted. The study group of this study was carried out with pre-service teachers studying in the 4th grade of 2018-2019 Academic Year, in the spring semester of the 2018-2019 Academic Year, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Faculty of Education, Department of Mathematics and Science Education, Science Teaching Program (n = 23). In this study, "Success Test" and "Engineering Design Skills Scale" were used as data collection tools. Findings obtained as a result of the study revealed that there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores received from the Success test by prospective teachers in the study group. In addition, it has been determined that there is a significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores that pre-service teachers received from the 'Engineering Design Processes' section of the Engineering Design Scale. However, it was tested that there was no significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores received from the 'Team Skills in Design' section of the Engineering Design Scale. It is seen that the STEM-based Arduino robotic activities of the nervous system increase academic success at a high rate, thus, their motivation towards the course is positively influenced and supports the permanence of classroom learning.