Educational robots sharpen students’ collaboration skills

The call for 21st-century skills is reshaping how educators think about the core goals of formal schooling. Amid widespread acknowledgment of collaboration as a vital skill for the future workforce, a new study has presented compelling evidence that a structured, robotics-based educational approach can significantly elevate students’ collaborative capacities. Conducted across public primary schools in Greece, the research tested an innovative pedagogy, Collaboration-Oriented Robotics Education (CORE), and showed that it can meaningfully improve individual collaboration skills, even in typical classroom environments.

The study, titled “CORE: Cultivation of Collaboration Skills via Educational Robotics,” and published in the journal Knowledge, evaluates a targeted methodology that uses educational robotics as a vehicle to foster group work competencies in children aged 11–12. Unlike conventional robotics programs, which often treat collaboration as a secondary outcome, CORE places it at the forefront of the learning process. By using tangible tasks like puzzle-solving and robot construction, and integrating a rigorously designed performance evaluation instrument, the research not only validates its pedagogical framework but also delivers evidence that challenges the adequacy of traditional instruction in cultivating teamwork skills.

Can educational robotics teach students to truly collaborate?

The CORE methodology is built around the premise that collaboration must be the intended learning outcome, not an incidental byproduct. To test this, researchers devised a pre- and post-intervention experimental design, using the Collaboration-Oriented Performance Evaluation (COPE) test. This tool assessed collaboration through performance rather than self-reports, eliminating biases and emphasizing observable group dynamics.

In the study, 32 students were divided into control and experimental groups, both of which engaged in educational robotics activities using LEGO WeDo 2.0 kits. However, while the control group followed a traditional instruction-based format, the experimental group applied the CORE framework - a multi-phase pedagogical process involving re-acculturation exercises, co-creation of open-ended projects, synchronized instruction, and phased integration of foundational and prior knowledge.

The difference in outcomes was stark. Students exposed to CORE demonstrated a 9.21% improvement in their individual collaboration performance, measured through statistically significant gains in COPE scores. In contrast, the control group’s performance remained essentially flat. These results were validated through Wilcoxon signed-rank and Mann–Whitney U tests, which confirmed both intra-group gains and inter-group differences at p-values below 0.001.

What makes CORE different from other robotics-based learning?

While educational robotics has gained traction globally as a tool to boost STEM competencies, few frameworks have focused squarely on collaboration. The CORE model disrupts this trend by embedding group equity, participation symmetry, and dialogic learning into every instructional stage. For instance, rather than diving into programming tasks directly, students first engaged in group discussions about past team experiences, highlighting issues like egoism or exclusion. These reflections then shaped ground rules for respectful and inclusive group conduct.

Furthermore, knowledge dissemination in CORE is deliberately structured to avoid dominance hierarchies. Instead of immediately leveraging pre-existing programming knowledge, students first explored robotics in an equitable hands-on environment. Only later were they introduced to prior knowledge via a guided booklet and software exploration, thereby equalizing their cognitive entry points. This approach, researchers argue, minimizes authoritative behavior within groups and enables all students, regardless of background or ability, to engage meaningfully.

The COPE test played a critical role in evaluating this pedagogical shift. Unlike other assessments, it gauged collaboration through real-time problem-solving using puzzles that required physical and strategic coordination. Students first completed the puzzles individually and then repeated similar tasks in mixed-gender groups under structured constraints, enabling performance-based comparisons across collaborative metrics like convergence, contribution, and efficiency.

Can CORE be scaled to classrooms globally?

The researchers are optimistic about the scalability and transferability of CORE. Because the methodology emphasizes process over content, it can be adapted to non-robotics disciplines such as environmental science or language arts. The three primary instructional cycles - sharing physical resources, building common ground through foundational knowledge, and collectively navigating prior knowledge - are not domain-specific. They represent universal principles for fostering collaboration in diverse educational contexts.

Moreover, the COPE test itself has been validated across 12 schools and 148 students in Greece, showing strong test–retest reliability and no significant biases related to gender or group composition. Its design allows for equitable assessments without relying on keyboard fluency, subject knowledge, or peer evaluations, making it especially suitable for primary education.

Nonetheless, the study acknowledges some limitations. High costs associated with robotics kits restricted the sample size, and the absence of long-term follow-up limits conclusions about sustained skill transfer. Additionally, the use of non-parametric statistical methods, while justified, may constrain interpretations of effect size. The researchers also highlight the potential for future integration of AI-based monitoring tools to track participation and refine real-time instructional support.

Despite these limitations, the CORE methodology marks a significant pedagogical advancement, challenging educators to reimagine classroom collaboration not as a passive byproduct but as a measurable, teachable, and transferable skill.