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Identifier

000465767

Title

Η διδασκαλία στοιχείων νανοτεχνολογίας μέσω της χρήσης ψηφιακών τεχνολογιών σε παιδιά πρώτης σχολικής ηλικίας / Πανδώρα Δορούκα.

Alternative Title

Teaching nanotechnology elements through the use of digital technologies to early primary school children'

Author

Δορούκα, Πανδώρα

Thesis advisor

Καλογιαννάκης Μιχαήλ

Reviewer

Ζαράνης Νικόλαος
Σταύρου Δημήτριος

Abstract

Despite a growing body of research focusing on learning through digital technologies in childhood, there are areas of knowledge where the impact of digital technologies has yet to be explored. A prominent example is nanoscience and nanotechnology (NST), a new interdisciplinary field that promises to solve long-term global challenges. Considering that NST involves elements that cannot be observed with the naked eye, young children's understanding of them requires appropriate teaching methods. These aspects of NST align well with the potential of digital technologies, such as smart mobile devices, whose critical feature is their ability to display interactive simulations and playful visualisations. This study investigates and compares the impact of tablet, computer, and alternative experiential teaching on the development of early school-age children's ability to understand nanoscale elements. Size and scale are cross-cutting NST concepts integral to scientific understanding. The implementation of the primary research is a weekly intervention, including two experimental groups and one control group. Using software applications in digital games, young children interacted with elements of NST concepts. Children in the first experimental group participated in a nano-lesson during the school curriculum using educational software on computers, while children in the second experimental group utilised the same software running on tablets. Children in the control group participated in a similar instruction without using technology. The three-stage study aimed to measure the effectiveness of two different digital technologies (computers and tablets) at an introductory level in young children's understanding of the elements of nanotechnology concepts. One hundred and fifty second-grade children of public primary schools in Heraklion, Crete, constituted the sample of the main study. In order to evaluate the children's performance, the Test of Elementary Knowledge Understanding of Nanoscale (TENANO), created for this study's needs, was used. The results showed that teaching with tablets and computers compared to alternative experiential teaching contributed significantly to developing the young children's nano-literacy level, with the tablet group dominating. Furthermore, gender and non-verbal cognitive ability did not seem to differentiate the development of children's ability to understand nanoscale entities.

Language

Greek

Subject

Digital technologies

Elementary school

Mobile learning

Nanoscience

Nanotechnology (NST)

Δημοτικό σχολείο

Κινητή μάθηση

Νανοεπιστήμη

Νανοτεχνολογία (ΝΕΤ)