Abstract:

According to the European Commission, a decline in STEM enrolment has been observed in several EU countries, highlighting challenges in attracting students to these fields. Several factors contribute to this trend, including the growing gap between the complexity of contemporary technologies and students’ opportunities to understand and interact with them. Another important factor is the misalignment between the development of soft skills and the use of technologies. While existing research has largely supported the use of technologies to develop technical competencies, less attention has been paid to their potential in fostering soft skills.

In response to this situation, the contemporary narrative tends to adopt a utilitarian and economic-centered perspective, reducing education primarily to the acquisition of skills aimed at meeting labour market needs. Although schools must consider these factors to support students’ future career development, a primary educational goal - as emphasized in 21st century skills framework - remains fostering critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities.

Within this panorama, we emphasize the importance of educational research in fostering new solutions that can help bridge this gap. Educational robotics, in particular, can play a key role by promoting sustainable approaches for the integration of emerging technologies in teaching settings.

The implementation of laboratories, festivals, and educational robotics activities has proven effective. Through practical and direct engagement, students discover new ways of learning and exploring concepts that might otherwise remain abstract, while reinforcing their active role in building experiences that support the development of knowledge and competencies.

In this paper, we report observations from two pilot studies exploring the implementation of educational robotics in learning contexts involving adolescents and young adults.

The first study involved 50 students from upper secondary school, aged 16 to 19, attending science-oriented programs. Participants completed a self-assessment questionnaire measuring ten selected soft skills and took part in an ultimatum game designed to explore group dynamics and social interaction patterns. All responses were collected anonymously and informed consent was obtained from each participant. Subsequently, students participated in a group-based educational robotics laboratory.

The second pilot study involved 44 first-year university students (young adults aged 19 to 24). As in the first group, participants completed the two questionnaires, followed by a group-based educational robotics activity. Furthermore, they completed the soft-skills questionnaire once again after the activity.

The analyses focused on identifying correlations between selected soft skills and behavioral patterns observed during the laboratory. Results show patterns related to participants’ prior experiences and the ways groups organized and managed teamwork.

Finally, our study suggests that educational robotics may represent a promising approach to bridging the gap between students and emerging technological systems, while promoting both motivation for STEM learning and the development of soft skills.

Keywords:

Soft Skills, Group Dynamics, Educational Robotics, Secondary and Higher Education.