The Influence of Robotics-Enhanced Instructional Strategy on Senior Secondary School Students’ Achievement in Physics in Abeokuta South Metropolis

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of educational robotics as an instructional strategy on the academic achievement of secondary school students in physics within Abeokuta South Metropolis, Nigeria. Despite the recognized importance of physics education to technological advancement, students’ performance in physics examinations had been consistently poor. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design and purposive sampling technique, a Physics Achievement Test (PAT) was administered as a pretest and posttest to 120 Senior Secondary School 2 students from two different schools (60 from each school) with treatment groups exposed to robotics-enhanced instruction using the mBot. Data analysis employed mean, standard deviations, and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) to test the null hypotheses. The findings revealed that students taught with mBot performed better than those without it. Gender differences in academic achievement were not significant. The study underscored the effectiveness of educational robots in enhancing physics education and called for its integration into the curriculum, teacher training, and the promotion of gender equality in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. Implementing these recommendations could contribute to improved academic outcomes and foster technological advancement in Nigeria.