Use of Arduino Activities through Problem Based Learning in Programming Education: An Action Research

Abstract

The aim of the research is to investigate the effects of problem-based Arduino activities in programming education on students' attitudes and to determine what kind of changes are occurring in problem-solving skills and to identify student experiences on the process. The research was carried out during the 8-week period of the Programming Language lessons with 26 students who are studying in the Department of Computer Technologies. In this research, action research design was used. Quantitative data were obtained by scales of attitude toward programming and problem-solving skills. Qualitative data were obtained through interview and observation techniques. A t-test for dependent samples was used in the analysis of quantitative data. The data obtained from semi-structured interviews and structured observations were analyzed descriptively. At the end of the research, students' attitudes towards programming and problem-solving skills were found to increase significantly between pre-test and post-test scores. As a result of the interviews, it was seen that most of the students had positive opinions about the activities. In addition, observations have shown that students develop positive attitudes toward programming and that there is an increase in problem solving skills.