����ֱ��

Doctoral Dissertation Defense
of
Barbara Sherwood Currey

For the degree of

Doctor of Philosophy
Curriculum and Instruction

Third-Grade Girls (and Boys) Who Code: The Effect of a Robotic Coding Intervention on Spatial Cognition

September 26, 2025
9:00 a.m.

Third-Grade Girls (and Boys) Who Code: The Effect of a Robotic Coding Intervention on Spatial Cognition

This mixed-method quasi-experimental exploratory study had three goals: 1) Determine the main effects and interactions of gender, socioeconomic status, and an intervention on the spatial orientation and mental rotation test scores of third-grade students; 2) Determine if a significant difference exists across genders or SES in the spatial gain of third-grade students after exposure to a robotic coding intervention; and 3) Explore student reflections on the intervention. 

For the study, a robotic pair coding intervention was designed to develop the spatial cognition of third-grade students. The intervention included eight coding lessons, each spanning two days, for 16 days over eight consecutive weeks. A pretest/post-test design and MANOVA analysis were used to analyze student spatial scores. Journal reflections and two culminating focus groups explored student feelings throughout the intervention. The qualitative data served as a secondary data source to help explain the quantitative outcomes. 

An experimental condition was not included. Instead, all participants were exposed to the intervention, with spatial gains predicted regardless of gender or SES. Results confirmed this expectation. Highly statistically significant gains were noted across the main factors on both the Road Map Test of Spatial Orientation and the Mental Rotation Test for Children: F (2, 39) =32.61, p=<0.001, Pillai’s Trace=0.63. Further, an interaction effect was noted between time and SES, indicating that the combined influence of these main effects had a statistically significant impact on spatial test score gains: F (2, 39) = 5.42, p=0.01, Pillai’s Trace= 0.22. The findings of this study have the potential to help inform future educational practices that develop the spatial cognition of all students.