Students’ Perceptions about the Use of Minimalist Robotic Games in Geography Education

Abstract

Recent trends show the number of students studying geography in upper secondary school is declining. Among the
reasons identified is that geography is perceived as a very tedious and difficult subject to study. With the rapid
development of technology in t he twenty first century, the use of multi media tools and technologies in education have
given a new dimension to the process of teaching and learning. One of the most widely used technological tool is robots.
Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluat e the perceptions of high school students who are using minimalist
robotic games for teaching and learning activities in Geography. Qualitative research methods were used to collect the
research data. In total there are 15 groups of students participating in the Science Technology Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM) Education Carnival; each group consists of three to six members who have created a minimalist
robot game for the subject of Science, Mathematics and Social Sciences. However, there are only two groups of students
consisting of two male and four female students who created games for Geography. Therefore, a purposive sampling
method was used to select students from these two groups. Six students who participated in the development of a
minimalist r obotic game for Geography in the STEM education carnival were selected and interviewed. Semi structured
interviews were conducted at the end of the carnival. The data analysis of the interview shows five out of six students
had a very positive perception o f using minimalist robotics in Geography education. In addition, this study also showed
that the use of minimalist robotics in the teaching and learning of Geography also changed the interest and attitudes of
students towards learning Geography. The applic ation of minimalist robotics also enhances students' intrinsic
motivation to study Geography. implications of this study suggest that minimalist robotics games are an alternative
technology teacher can integrate into teaching and learning activities for G eography in schools to enhance students’
interest in learning about this subject.