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Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2019) | Viewed by 109860

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Anna Visvizi

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Guest Editor

1. Institute of International Studies (ISM), SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Al. Niepodległości 162, 02-554 Warsaw, Poland
2. Effat College of Business, Effat University, Jeddah 21551, Saudi Arabia
Interests: smart cities; smart villages; international political economy (IPE); information and communication technology (ICT)
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Linda Daniela

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Education, Psychology and Art, University of Latvia, LV-1586 Rīga, Latvia
Interests: educational technologies; smart pedagogy; digital learning materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Over the past few years, the development of Smart Technologies has triggered substantial changes in education and approaches to teaching and learning. At the same time, it raised question about the role of educational technologies in context of the necessity of fostering the development of inclusive and sustainable society. In other words, on the one hand, we need smart, innovative, collaborative learning infrastructures that will enable us to cultivate a specific 21st-century specific learning culture consistent with teaching and learning crossing the boundaries of time and space and time and hence becoming available everywhere. On the other hand, we need to build the capacity to exploit the opportunities, which smart use of smart technologies offers to the benefit of inclusive and sustainable development of the society. A variety of emerging technologies linked with evolving learning theories provide the value mix of Smart Education. The use of different smart solutions changes the role of teachers and educational environment. It also brings new questions to educational science as the traditional role of educator, i.e., as person who organizes the teaching and learning process is changed—but still there is open question about how to ensure sustainable development of cities, villages and society. Who and when will provide these knowledge for society? What is the role of smart education?

The objective of this Special Issue is to disseminate the latest high quality, interdisciplinary research in the domain of smart sustainable education to discuss ideas, problems, challenges and solutions for changes in society, which are brought by technological innovations and which is the place of education in that context.

The digital transformation of education is a key challenge for achieving sustainability. A variety of emerging technologies inked with evolving learning theories provide the value mix of Smart Education.

In parallel the quest of modern societies for sustainable innovations with a great impact on labor, and economic indexes is evident. In this context, the proposition of Smart Education is sound and timely. The design of flexible, customized, integrated, multidisciplinary curriculum and programs with advanced smart services required the understanding and analysis of theoretical models, meta frame works and applied research systems.

Additionally, Sustainability theories promote further the value contribution of the Special Issue. The intersections of innovation, international business and emerging business models linked with the advanced requirements of the high-tech economy pose critical questions:

Which are the Smart Education theories, models, tools and systems?
Which are the policies at governmental, educational and higher administration level for this integration?
Which are the implications of Smart Education at Micro, Mezzo and Macro level?
Which are the Societal Challenges, and Economic Implications for the realization of Smart Education at Global Scale?
Which are the scenarios for Smart Education Sustainable programs across countries and continents?

Aims of the Special Issue:

The Special Issue will explore the transformative impact of smart technologies for the provision of Smart Sustainable Education. It will integrate education, sustainability and innovation towards a new value adding proposition for higher education institutions.

The Special Issue serves as an innovation and entrepreneurship primer for higher education and promotes ideas for the enhancement of critical thinking and constructivism.

Topics of interest:

Higher Education Policies for the adoption of Smart Education
Emerging technologies for Smart Education
Smart Education for International Collaboration
Smart Education for Innovation
Academia Industry Collaborations
Shared Curriculum and Programs across continents
Case Studies of Smart Education
Interactive Case Studies for postgraduate studies
Business Games
Gamification in Higher Education
Virtual and Augmented Reality for Smart Education
Design of advanced internships programs

Prof. Linda Daniela
Prof. Anna Visvizi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

smart education
sustainability
emerging technologies
innovations
virtual and augmented reality

Published Papers (14 papers)

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Editorial

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7 pages, 197 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Technology-Enhanced Learning and the Pursuit of Sustainability

by Anna Visvizi and Linda Daniela

Sustainability 2019, 11(15), 4022; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11154022 - 25 Jul 2019

Cited by 38 | Viewed by 4165

Abstract

The inroads of sophisticated technologies and related applications in the field of education trigger several developments related not only to the processes of managing education institutions across levels and domains but also pertaining to approaches to teaching and learning. As advances in technology impact all aspects of life, when adopting and adapting to these advances, the education sector is expected to respond to issues and processes that current technological revolution triggers in the entire society. Hence, effective and forward-looking manner of managing technological advances in the education sector today is a necessity to ensure sustainability of that sector in the future. The objective of this Special Issue was to reflect on these issues, to identify the key questions that have to be addressed in this context, and to encourage new critical insights into these developments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

Research

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28 pages, 3064 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of a Smart City Model to a Traditional University Campus with a Big Data Architecture: A Sustainable Smart Campus

by William Villegas-Ch, Xavier Palacios-Pacheco and Sergio Luján-Mora

Sustainability 2019, 11(10), 2857; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11102857 - 20 May 2019

Cited by 115 | Viewed by 13298

Abstract

Currently, the integration of technologies such as the Internet of Things and big data seeks to cover the needs of an increasingly demanding society that consumes more resources. The massification of these technologies fosters the transformation of cities into smart cities. Smart cities improve the comfort of people in areas such as security, mobility, energy consumption and so forth. However, this transformation requires a high investment in both socioeconomic and technical resources. To make the most of the resources, it is important to make prototypes capable of simulating urban environments and for the results to set the standard for implementation in real environments. The search for an environment that represents the socioeconomic organization of a city led us to consider universities as a perfect environment for small-scale testing. The proposal integrates these technologies in a traditional university campus, mainly through the acquisition of data through the Internet of Things, the centralization of data in proprietary infrastructure and the use of big data for the management and analysis of data. The mechanisms of distributed and multilevel analysis proposed here could be a powerful starting point to find a reliable and efficient solution for the implementation of an intelligent environment based on sustainability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

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13 pages, 2114 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Align My Curriculum: A Framework to Bridge the Gap between Acquired University Curriculum and Required Market Skills

by Ahood Almaleh, Muhammad Ahtisham Aslam, Kawther Saeedi and Naif Radi Aljohani

Sustainability 2019, 11(9), 2607; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11092607 - 07 May 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4322

Abstract

With the advancement of technology, academics and curriculum developers are always under pressure to provide students with skills that match the market’s requirements. A systematic and continuous examination of the market is needed, to stay up to date with the required skills, and then to update the curriculum to train the students with required market skills. In this article, we present a framework referred to as Align My Curriculum (AMC). The AMC framework aims to facilitate alignment between acquired university curriculum outcomes and required market skills. It can be used to classify, compare and visualize the data of a university curriculum and job vacancies in the market. The presented framework benefits academics and curriculum developers by improving the courses and therefore bridging the skills gap. Stakeholders from both academia and industry can gain insights into the predominant required and acquired skills. In addition, it may be useful for analysts, students, and job applicants. This article describes the architecture, implementation and experimental results, with visual analysis to help decision and policy-makers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

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11 pages, 565 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mediating Bullying and Strain in Higher Education Institutions: The Case of Pakistan

by Ambreen Anjum, Amina Muazzam, Farkhanda Manzoor, Anna Visvizi and Raheel Nawaz

Sustainability 2019, 11(8), 2244; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11082244 - 15 Apr 2019

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4216

Abstract

Although workplace bullying is a well-researched phenomenon, the specific way it unfolds in higher education institutions (HEI) remains largely underdiscussed. Based on the outcomes of a survey conducted across HEI in Pakistan, by reference to structural equation modeling, using Amos-20, this paper not only adds to our understanding of the scope and features of bullying in HEI, but also suggests strategies employers and victims could employ to cope with the adverse implications of bullying. The key findings of this research are: (i) a positive correlation exists between the degree of workplace bullying and strain levels; (ii) more frequently than not, female employees, younger employees, and employees in junior positions are victims of bullying; (iii) bullying and strain can be fully mediated only when both emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies are employed in synergy. In brief, although research findings elaborated in this paper draw from the specific case of HEI in Pakistan, this paper makes a case for more research, vigilance and action to understand the scale of the phenomenon in academia and to undertake concerted action to mitigate its adverse impact on specific individuals and HEI themselves. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

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16 pages, 1196 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Academics’ Perceptions on Quality in Higher Education Shaping Key Performance Indicators

by Emmanouil Varouchas, Miguel-Ángel Sicilia and Salvador Sánchez-Alonso

Sustainability 2018, 10(12), 4752; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10124752 - 13 Dec 2018

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 6821

Abstract

Institutions in higher education (HE) continuously strive to develop and deliver impactful educational programs. At the same time, they should continue to fulfill their mission to educate students in basic applied subjects and in parallel respond to the need to equip students with new skills. For this reason, higher education institutions (HEI) perform periodical curricular reviews adhering to internal and external quality assurance systems. The subsequent curricular reforms are of a transformative nature, preparing graduates to tackle the challenges of globalization, unemployment and vanishing professions. For these reforms to lead to sustainable curricula, the integration of quality into educational programs is instrumental. A suggested way of achieving a transformative stance is to provide the context for the application and diffusion of quality metrics in teaching and learning. This research intends to provide a discussion of key performance indicators (KPIs) related to quality. This paper presents the second round of qualitative interviews with higher education administrators and professors as a promising vehicle for advancing towards the formulation of KPIs based on their understanding of the different independent dimensions of the quality construct. These KPIs will provide valuable insights into improving teaching, learning and assessment and will eventually lead to sustainable curricula. Research findings outline the significance of the time invested to design and update a course, indicate that technology-enhanced learning solutions are perceived as key quality drivers, and point out the need to align courses with industry requirements and real-world problems. Additionally, findings indicate that the quality and impact of teaching and learning is promoted by the multi/inter-disciplinary character of a course, the engagement of students in interactive discussions and student research as part of summative assessment. The main contribution of this research is an analytic discussion of perceptions of higher education administrators and professors about quality, leading to a significant enrichment of the relevant literature. A set of innovative generic KPIs which can be used in multidimensional quality assessment in higher education is eventually proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

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22 pages, 574 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Higher Education and Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL)

by Linda Daniela, Anna Visvizi, Calixto Gutiérrez-Braojos and Miltiadis D. Lytras

Sustainability 2018, 10(11), 3883; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10113883 - 25 Oct 2018

Cited by 92 | Viewed by 10000

Abstract

The field of education is not immune to advances in sophisticated information and communication technology (ICT). Going beyond the ICT-hype, the objective of this paper is to examine to what extent and how technology-enhanced teaching and learning (TEL) can enhance teaching and learning and, hence, turn them into levers of sustainable socio-economic growth and development. To address these questions, a multidimensional survey was developed and distributed internationally to lecturers/professors active in the field of higher education. The initial point of departure for this study was consistent with the well-referenced in the literature thesis that TEL has profound value added in view of enhancing the teaching and learning process. Yet, as the outcomes of the survey underpinning the discussion in this paper suggest, there is much more is at stake than that. Indeed, it is argued that several conditions need to be fulfilled if technology is to serve as a benefit, and not an obstacle to teaching and learning, and thus boost the delivery of quality education. This paper outlines them. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

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29 pages, 848 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Coding Teaching on Students’ Self-Efficacy Perceptions of Technology and Design Courses

by Celalettin Özden and Murat Tezer

Sustainability 2018, 10(10), 3822; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103822 - 22 Oct 2018

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5874

Abstract

The aim of this research was to examine the effect of coding teaching on students’ self-efficacy perceptions of technology and design courses. A consecutive-explanatory design in a combined research model was used in this study. The qualitative dimension of the research was carried out through a random experimental design with pre/post-tests with controlled groups, and the qualitative dimension was conducted through interview techniques. The participants were seventh grade students from Şehit Hüseyin Ruso Secondary school in Lefkoşa, North Cyprus, in the 2016–2017 academic year. The quantitative data were collected through the “Technology and Design Course Self-efficacy Perception Scale”, developed by the researcher, and the qualitative data were collected through interview forms oriented around “Coding Teaching and Revised Technology and Design Course Teaching Program”. The quantitative data were analyzed through related and unrelated sampling t-test, Cohen’s d effect size coefficiency, and two-way variance analyses, and the qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis. A significant difference was observed between the students, taking coding teaching, and self-efficacy perceptions of Technology and Design courses compared to the control groups. Besides, it was noted that students taking coding teaching courses exhibited a positive attitude towards the course, and they practiced their metacognitive thinking and social skills at top levels. Based on the students’ views, it is obvious that coding teaching has a positive effect on their self-efficacy perceptions of the subject. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

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13 pages, 8643 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Low-Cost Immersive Virtual Reality System for Teaching Robotic Manipulators Programming

by Vicente Román-Ibáñez, Francisco A. Pujol-López, Higinio Mora-Mora, Maria Luisa Pertegal-Felices and Antonio Jimeno-Morenilla

Sustainability 2018, 10(4), 1102; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10041102 - 07 Apr 2018

Cited by 57 | Viewed by 7032

Abstract

Laboratory tasks are a powerful pedagogical strategy for developing competences in science and engineering degrees, making students understand in a practical way the theoretical topics explained in the classroom. However, performing experiments in real conditions is usually expensive in terms of time, money and energy, as it requires expensive infrastructures that are generally difficult to maintain in good conditions. To overcome this problem, virtual reality has proven to be a powerful tool to achieve sustainability, making it easy to update laboratories without the need to acquire new equipment. Moreover, the ability to introduce practical knowledge into classrooms without leaving them, makes virtual laboratories capable of simulating typical operating environments as well as extreme situations in the operation of different devices. A typical subject in which students can benefit from the use of virtual laboratories is robotics. In this work we will develop an immersive virtual reality (VR) pedagogical simulator of industrial robotic arms for engineering students. With the proposed system, students will know the effects of their own designed trajectories on several different robotic arms and cell environments without having to buy all of them and being safe of damaging the cell components. The simulation will be checking for collisions of the elements in the scene and alert the student when they happen. This can be achieved with a robotic simulator, but the integration with immersive VR is intended to help students better understand robotics. Moreover, even having a real robotic arm available for students, with this proposed VR method, all the students have the opportunity to manage and learn his own version of the robotic cell, without waiting times generated by having less robotic arms than students in classroom. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

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13 pages, 11667 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Virtual Reality Learning Activities for Multimedia Students to Enhance Spatial Ability

by Rafael Molina-Carmona, María Luisa Pertegal-Felices, Antonio Jimeno-Morenilla and Higinio Mora-Mora

Sustainability 2018, 10(4), 1074; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10041074 - 04 Apr 2018

Cited by 66 | Viewed by 7859

Abstract

Virtual Reality is an incipient technology that is proving very useful for training different skills. Our hypothesis is that it is possible to design virtual reality learning activities that can help students to develop their spatial ability. To prove the hypothesis, we have conducted an experiment consisting of training the students using an on-purpose learning activity based on a virtual reality application and assessing the possible improvement of the students’ spatial ability through a widely accepted spatial visualization test. The learning activity consists of a virtual environment where some simple polyhedral shapes are shown and manipulated by moving, rotating and scaling them. The students participating in the experiment are divided into a control and an experimental group, carrying out the same learning activity with the only difference of the device used for the interaction: a traditional computer with screen, keyboard and mouse for the control group, and virtual reality goggles with a smartphone for the experimental group. To assess the experience, all the students have completed a spatial visualization test twice: just before performing the activities and four weeks later, once all the activities were performed. Specifically, we have used the well-known and widely used Purdue Spatial Visualization Test—Rotation (PSVT-R), designed to test rotational visualization ability. The results of the test show that there is an improvement in the test results for both groups, but the improvement is significantly higher in the case of the experimental group. The conclusion is that the virtual reality learning activities have shown to improve the spatial ability of the experimental group. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

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21 pages, 10866 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Knowledge Graph in Smart Education: A Case Study of Entrepreneurship Scientific Publication Management

by Yang Chi, Yue Qin, Rui Song and Hao Xu

Sustainability 2018, 10(4), 995; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10040995 - 28 Mar 2018

Cited by 46 | Viewed by 8290

Abstract

In recent years, with the rapid growth of science and innovation, plenty of constantly-updated scientific achievements containing innovative knowledge can be acquired and used to solve problems. However, most undergraduate students and non-researchers cannot use them efficiently. In traditional teacher-centric education, education for sustainability is often marginalized and the interdisciplinary demand is neglected. Additionally, it fails to provide education for learners to connect abstract knowledge with actual world problems. This paper presents the design of a scientific publication management model to integrate scientific metadata based on the knowledge graph and data analysis technologies. Based on this model, an interdisciplinary transregional multiple application platform could be realized for scientific resource retrieval and analysis, the purpose of which is to enhance scientific retrieval efficiency and reduce learning difficulty in the scientific domains and encourage non-researchers to utilize scientific resources in their study and work. Finally, to evaluate this model, the use of the case of an entrepreneurship scientific publication management prototype system was implemented. This work not only favors student’s learning for sustainability through analysis and knowledge management functions, but also promotes their awareness, comprehensive thinking, and the skills to deal with the issues of sustainability in their future work. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

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13 pages, 3586 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Splitting and Combining as a Gamification Method in Engaging Structured Knowledge Learning

by Donglei Song, Daqian Shi, Rusi Wang and Hao Xu

Sustainability 2018, 10(3), 800; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10030800 - 13 Mar 2018

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4120

Abstract

The understanding of the structure of knowledge is an essential step of education. Although teachers offer the information foundation and relationship among knowledge points, there are still few methods to encourage students to explore the structure of knowledge by themselves outside of classes. This paper explores the gamification method and the knowledge structure of computer science. We assess the gamification method of “splitting and combining” (SC) to encourage students to finish the process of learning structured knowledge in the university. The results show that this method works well in promoting learning enjoyment and that splitting demonstrates better performance than combining. We can consider the SC method when recommending a gamification method to engage students in structural learning assistance in future smart university education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

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14 pages, 650 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Mapping of On-Line Learning to Flipped Classroom: Small Private Online Course

by Muqiang Zheng, Chien-Chi Chu, Yenchun Jim Wu and Wanxing Gou

Sustainability 2018, 10(3), 748; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10030748 - 09 Mar 2018

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 5808

Abstract

This study uses an integrated pedagogical tool for knowledge learning as an on-line tool for flipped classroom activities and as an off-line capability training tool. Theoretically, the Experiential Learning Cycle (ELC) plays a critical role in promoting students learning effectiveness and performance. However, a dearth of research has applied M-learning and flipped classroom in combination with the ELC stages such as concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation to examine the knowledge and ability learning outcomes for students. This study integrates the On line to Off line (O2O) classroom development and usage derived from the four stages of ELC based on on-line knowledge learning and off-line ability training in Microeconomics courses. The results revealed significant improvements in students learning outcomes after O2O mode was implemented. In comparison with traditional teaching methods, not only does O2O teaching significantly improve the students’ learning result of professional knowledge, but O2O teaching also significantly enhanced the capabilities of the students. Furthermore, this study reports the findings from major activities of each ELC stage in O2O classroom practice along with the mapping of on-line learning and off-line training included in the aforementioned stages. Finally, the study provides pedagogical implications and future research directions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

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13 pages, 1138 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Entrepreneurship Education: An Experimental Study with Information and Communication Technology

by Yenchun Jim Wu, Chih-Hung Yuan and Chia-I Pan

Sustainability 2018, 10(3), 691; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10030691 - 04 Mar 2018

Cited by 59 | Viewed by 6152

Abstract

Entrepreneurship has been regarded as a new science in the promotion of economic development, which has led to rapid development in entrepreneurship education. The growing number of students enrolled in entrepreneurship programs creates unprecedented challenges on educators. Although multiple teaching and learning activities are adopted in entrepreneurship education, these are mainly carried out using traditional classroom lectures, case studies and group discussions. Nowadays, information & communication technology (ICT) is used to enhance the effectiveness of traditional teaching methods and competency training. PowToon is a web-based ICT tool that hat allows teachers and students to quickly and easily create animated presentations. Using quasi-experimental design and qualitative method, this study is to examine whether PowToon is an effective tool for business plan presentation. The study find that the animated presentations attracted more investment than the groups that did not prepare animated videos. It reflects that developed videos which helps entrepreneurial team to better deliver their business ideas to investors in a well-thought out way. In addition, the results of the study show that individuals who generate a business idea did not necessarily significantly influence their investment decisions. Our findings challenge the concept on self-biases evaluations of the economic potential of their own business ideas. Finally, the students were very willing to adopt new ways of delivering their business ideas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

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Review

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24 pages, 861 KiB

Open AccessReview

Systematic Review of Research Trends in Robotics Education for Young Children

by Sung Eun Jung and Eun-sok Won

Sustainability 2018, 10(4), 905; https://doi.org/10.3390/su10040905 - 21 Mar 2018

Cited by 165 | Viewed by 19729

Abstract

This study conducted a systematic and thematic review on existing literature in robotics education using robotics kits (not social robots) for young children (Pre-K and kindergarten through 5th grade). This study investigated: (1) the definition of robotics education; (2) thematic patterns of key findings; and (3) theoretical and methodological traits. The results of the review present a limitation of previous research in that it has focused on robotics education only as an instrumental means to support other subjects or STEM education. This study identifies that the findings of the existing research are weighted toward outcome-focused research. Lastly, this study addresses the fact that most of the existing studies used constructivist and constructionist frameworks not only to design and implement robotics curricula but also to analyze young children’s engagement in robotics education. Relying on the findings of the review, this study suggests clarifying and specifying robotics-intensified knowledge, skills, and attitudes in defining robotics education in connection to computer science education. In addition, this study concludes that research agendas need to be diversified and the diversity of research participants needs to be broadened. To do this, this study suggests employing social and cultural theoretical frameworks and critical analytical lenses by considering children’s historical, cultural, social, and institutional contexts in understanding young children’s engagement in robotics education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart Sustainable Education: Innovative Digital Transformation for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)

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