Characteristics of Teacher Training in Educational Robotics: A Systematic Review

Educators must prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and its impact on technology-enhanced learning. They must learn skills to engage with students in areas such as educational robotics. This study reviews the literature on teacher training in educational robotics. A qualitative analysis of the literature was conducted to identify potential areas of improvement. The review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA methodology using the Scopus, ERIC, and WOS databases. To be included in the review, the studies had to deal directly with teacher training in educational robotics at the school level. Eighty-four articles were identified from 2018 to 2023, and 84 articles were identified. These articles were filtered through three stages, resulting in a final set of 16 articles. The findings revealed several noteworthy aspects, including the relatively brief duration of the training courses, lack of coherence between the initial and ongoing training, considerable diversity in the training objectives and structure, and necessity of positioning robotics as a mediator. Regarding procedural and conceptual elements, there is a clear need to deepen the pedagogical and philosophical aspects of training. With respect to these conclusions, it is evident that there are multiple avenues for strengthening teacher training in educational robotics. This can be achieved by addressing the aspects observed in the results, including extending and consolidating training periods, refocusing objectives, integrating foundational work into structures, and establishing connections between initial and continuing training.