Abstract:

This study investigates high school students’ perceptions of LEGO® Education as an active learning methodology aimed at fostering 21st-century skills—creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration and technological literacy—in public schools in Juiz de Fora, Brazil. The initiative was part of the Minds of the Future project, which brought structured innovation, entrepreneurship and technology-based activities to the state school network, emphasizing playful experimentation, prototyping and teamwork.

A quantitative descriptive design was employed, using a structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree). The survey was administered to 249 students from eight public schools who participated in LEGO® Education classes between September and November 2025. The instrument measured three dimensions:
(a) course experience (engagement, enjoyment, perceived relevance),
(b) teamwork and peer interaction, and
(c) learning outcomes (creativity, logical reasoning, problem-solving, technological confidence and interest in technology-related careers).

Data analyses included non-parametric Spearman correlation—due to non-normal distribution—and one-way ANOVA with a 5% significance level to identify group-level differences.

Results indicated statistically significant differences among classes and schools in all three dimensions, highlighting the influence of context and group dynamics on students’ perceptions. Teamwork emerged as the most valued dimension, consistently reaching the highest median scores and demonstrating strong consensus on its contribution to learning and motivation. Correlation results revealed moderate to strong positive associations among key competencies, particularly between problem-solving and the ability to generate alternative solutions. Meaningful links were also observed between engagement, confidence in testing ideas and perceived gains in technological literacy. Students frequently emphasized that hands-on activities, prototype construction and collaborative challenges made learning more concrete, enjoyable and relevant to real-world contexts.

Overall perceptions were highly positive: engagement and collaboration showed strong homogeneity and scores near the upper end of the scale, while learning outcomes displayed slightly greater variability, influenced by individual interests and previous exposure to technology. The findings reinforce that playful, technology-mediated active learning environments can enhance student agency, intrinsic motivation and cooperative behaviors in secondary education. Although causal impact cannot be inferred, the results provide substantial empirical evidence supporting the integration of LEGO® Education into public high school settings as a vehicle for developing transversal competencies. Future research should explore longitudinal effects, classroom observations and performance-based assessments to deepen understanding of skill development over time.

Keywords:

LEGO® Education, active learning, 21st-century skills, educational innovation, Brazilian public schools.