Robotic competitions have become an increasingly popular educational tool to increase students’ interest and achievement in STEM. The largest and fastest growing of these is VEX Robotics Competitions (VRCs). Although millions of dollars of funding are allocated, and countless hours of effort are expended annually to provide students with the opportunity to compete in VRCs, little research has been done to investigate the educational impacts of participation in these competitions. One promising research framework in this area is to investigate the self-efficacy of students who participate in VRCs. Self-efficacy, or the beliefs one holds about one’s own abilities in a given area, has been shown to have a strong influence on students’ career and educational interests, choices, and attainment. The purpose of this study was to investigate two research questions: (1) What factors influence VEX Robotics Competition participants’ self-efficacy? (2) What is the relationship between self-efficacy in VRCs and students’ interest in and choice of STEM majors? A cross sectional study was conducted utilizing Robinson’s Self-Confidence Survey for VEX Robotics Participants (SCSVRP) to measure VRC participants’ self-efficacy. In addition, the Post-Secondary Choices Survey was utilized to gather data about the relationship between VRC participants’ self-efficacy and their post-secondary educational choices. Study participants were recruited over a period of 3 years at state- and national-level VRCs, as well as through nationwide recruitment efforts assisted by the CREATE Foundation. A total of 390 students participated in the SCSVRP, while 28 students participated in the Post-Secondary Choices Survey. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted to investigate the relationship between several predictor variables and overall self-efficacy. Correlation analysis was conducted to investigate the relationship between VRC participants’ self-efficacy and their choice of major upon enrolling in post-secondary educational programs. The results indicated that VRC participants’ self-efficacy was primarily influenced by their biological sex and the number of seasons they had participated in VRCs. In addition, self-efficacy was correlated with students’ interest in choosing engineering majors, but not STEM majors more generally. Finally, a statistically significant relationship was found between self-efficacy and VRC participants’ actual choice of STEM majors, but not engineering majors specifically.

As tecnologias contemporâneas são elementos centrais da nossa sociedade, e sua consolidação como instrumentos transformadores e capacitores das ações cotidianas influenciaram e ainda influenciam diversas áreas de atividades humanas. Dentre diversas mudanças, esta investigação procurou destacar as exigências criadas para a educação, com enfoque no processo de ensino-aprendizagem de matemática por meio da robótica. Para isso, esta pesquisa propôs analisar o ambiente de aprendizagem constituído por meio da preparação e participação de alunos nos campeonatos de robótica. No processo de produção de informação adotamos como metodologia de pesquisa a de caráter qualitativo, em um delineamento baseado nos parâmetros da observação participante, na qual utilizamos fotos, filmagens, documentos produzidos pelos alunos e entrevista. Assim sendo, por um período de dois anos, acompanhamos alunos, com idade entre 10 e 16 anos, que cursavam o Ensino Fundamental II de uma escola municipal na cidade de Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, em suas atividades de preparação e participação em competições de robótica, das quais destacamos suas produções e elaboração de estratégia de organização. No processo de análise das informações consideramos dois momentos: o primeiro, relacionado aos estudos e reflexões sobre o processo de produção de conhecimento envolvendo a organização de estratégias para preparação e participação em competições de robótica; e o segundo momento, que compreende o processo de produção de conhecimentos pelos estudantes relacionados às exigências dos campeonatos de robótica, destacando a criação de um projeto escrito, numa perspectiva científica, dentro dos moldes de campeonatos de robótica e no processo de montagem, programação e simulação de robôs. No desenvolvimento da análise das informações desta investigação apresentamos algumas dificuldades no processo de consolidação deste ambiente de aprendizagem, tais como: aquisição de materiais na escola pública; formação e/ou capacitação de professores em robótica; relacionar as atividades desenvolvidas com robótica e as aulas de matemática em sala de aula e desenvolver a prática de pesquisar dos alunos. Entretanto, esse ambiente de aprendizagem possibilitou que os alunos desenvolvessem sua autonomia e criatividade quando realizavam construções de maquetes e trabalhavam com mídias sociais. A montagem e programação de robôs evidenciou o processo de autoria e de produção coletiva dos estudantes da escola pública. / Contemporary technologies are central elements of our society and its consolidation as transformative instruments and capacitors of everyday actions have influenced and still influence diverse areas of human activities. Among several changes, this investigation sought to highlight the demands created for education, focusing on the process of teaching-learning of mathematics through robotics. For this, this research proposed to analyze the learning environment constituted through preparation and participation of students in the robotics championships. In the process of information production, we adopted qualitative research methodology, in a design based on the parameters of participant observation, in which we use photos, filming, documents produced by students and interviews. Thus, for a period of two years, we accompanied students, aged between 10 and 16, who were attending Elementary School II of a municipal school in the city of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, in their activities of preparation and participation in robotics competitions, of which we highlight his productions and elaboration of organizational strategy. In the process of informations analysis we consider two moments: the first, related to the studies and reflections on the process of knowledge production involving the organization of strategies for preparation and participation in robotics competitions; And the second moment, which comprises the process of knowledge producing by the students related to the requirements of the robotics championships, highlighting the production of a scientific research within the molds of robotics championships and on the process of assembly, programming and simulation of robots. In the development of analyzing the information of this investigation we present some difficulties in the process of consolidation of this learning environment, such as: acquisition of materials in the public school; training and/or improvement of teacher in robotics; to relate the activities developed with robotics and to the classes of mathematics in the classroom and to develop the practice of researching the students. However, this learning environment made it possible for students to develop their autonomy and creativity when constructing mock-ups and working with social media. The assembly and programming of robots evidenced the process of authorship and collective production of public school students. / Dissertação (Mestrado)