Using Makey-Makey for teaching electricity to primary school students. A pilot study

摘要

Primary school students find it difficult to grasp concepts related to electricity. On the other hand, tangible user interfaces, such as Makey-Makey, offer an interesting alternative for teaching this subject. In order to examine whether the above holds true, a pilot project was carried out, having as a target group 75 students aged 10-11, divided into three groups. Everyday materials for making circuit boards were used for the teaching of the first group, simulations were used in the second, and in the third Makey-Makeys were utilized. Bybee's 5Es was the teaching framework applied to all groups. The project lasted for eight two-hour sessions for each group. Data were collected using evaluations sheets and a short questionnaire. The results' analysis demonstrated that the learning outcomes of students that used Makey-Makey were better compared with the other two groups. This result suggests that students in this group established a solid base of functional as well as procedural knowledge regarding electricity. Then again, no significant differences were noted between the group that used simulations and the group that used Makey-Makey in terms of motivation and enjoyment. The findings point to the need of providing educators with software tools that will assist them in using Makey-Makey more efficiently. Furthermore, when intending to use it for teaching a subject, they should reflect on whether this device has clear advantages over other tools and what meaningful activities can be conducted. An appropriate teaching framework is also advised.