A quasi experimental study of robotics based learning and differential development of context specific STEM literacy among primary school students

Abstract This mixed-method quasi-experimental study examined the effects of robotics-based learning on context-specific STEM literacy among primary school students within the Malaysian Reka Bentuk dan Teknologi (RBT) curriculum. The experimental group ( n = 34) participated in FIRST ® LEGO ® League (FLL)-based intervention, while the control group ( n = 34) received conventional instruction. Quantitative findings showed that the experimental group achieved significantly higher post-test STEM literacy scores, t (66) = 8.43, p < 0.001, with a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 2.04). Within-group analyses indicated substantial improvement in the experimental group from pre-test to post-test, t (33) = 15.72, p < 0.001 ( d = 2.69), compared with smaller gains in the control group, t (33) = 7.14, p < 0.001 ( d = 1.22). Domain-level results indicated variation in the magnitude of improvement, with larger effects in programming symbol recognition ( d = 1.87) and programming interface and hardware recognition ( d = 1.69) than in pseudocode construction ( d = 1.24) and flowchart-based problem solving ( d = 0.83). Qualitative findings indicated that students could execute robotics tasks effectively but struggled to translate these experiences into abstract symbolic representations. The study extends robotics-based STEM learning literature by demonstrating differentiated domain-specific effects in the development of context-specific STEM literacy in primary education.