Issue Spring 2027 - Call for Proposals - Special issue

Posted on 2026-06-04

Perspectives on 50 Years of Educational Robotics

Send a notice of intention until June 29, 2026

Educational robotics emerged in the 1970s and can be regarded as one of the earliest educational applications of computing. It developed primarily through the LOGO approach, an educational framework designed for children and inspired by the work of a team of American researchers,notably Wally Feurzeig, Seymour Papert, and Cynthia Solomon, who recognized the transformative potential of computers for rethinking educational practices (Feurzeig, 2010; Papert, 1980; Solomon, 2020). In this context, robots were conceived as tools enabling children to construct microworlds, a foundational concept of constructionism. Around the same period, similarly-inspired initiatives emerged elsewhere, notably through the work of Pierre Nonnon and Martial Vivet, whose contributions extended beyond primary education (Nonnon, 2002).


Fifty years later, educational robotics has evolved considerably with the emergence of new programming paradigms and technological systems. A broad range of educational robots is now available, while learning environments, programming languages, and the capabilities of computers and robotic systems have advanced substantially since the earliest prototypes. As a result, educational robotics has become firmly established across a wide variety of educational settings, from preschool to higher education, both within formal schooling and through extracurricular, formal, and informal learning activities, serving diverse pedagogical purposes and objectives (Atman Uslu et al., 2023; Benitti, 2012; Leroux, 2005; Ouyang & Xu, 2024).


Over the past decade, educational robotics has experienced renewed momentum, supported by the increasing availability of affordable and accessible technologies in educational settings (Komis et al., 2024). At the same time, scholarly interest in the field has grown substantially, as reflected in the publication of approximately 1,500 scientific articles since 2014, compared with around 500 between 1980 and 2014. This trend suggests growing maturity of the field as an area of educational research (Akgun & Atici, 2023).
Against this backdrop, several key questions emerge:
• What is the current place of educational robotics across formal and informal educational settings, and within educational policy frameworks?
• How has educational robotics evolved in response to technological change?
• How does it intersect with pedagogical approaches with which they are commonly associated, such as STEAM education, computer-based laboratories, and Maker education?
• What are its sociocultural impacts, and what challenges does it raise regarding teacher education, assessment, and integration into curricula and competency frameworks?
This special issue seeks to provide a critical and multifaceted perspective on educational robotics by bringing together the viewpoints of researchers and practitioners. It also explores emerging research paths and educational interventions that continue to shape the field, while fostering dialogue among the actors who have contributed to its development over the past five decades.

 

We welcome various types and formats of publication (research, practitioner, student, debate, etc.) written in French, English or Spanish.

References

Akgun, M., & Atici, B. (2023). Bibliometric map of educational robotics studies. International Journal of Technology in Education (IJTE), 6(2), 283–309. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijte.402

Atman U, N., Yavuz, G. Ö., & Koçak Usluel, Y. (2023). A systematic review study on educational robotics and robots. Interactive Learning Environments, 31(9), 5874–5898.

Benitti, F. B. V. (2012). Exploring the educational potential of robotics in schools: A systematic review. Computers & Education, 58(3), 978–988.

Denis, B., & Baron, G.-L. (Eds.). (1994). Regards sur la robotique pédagogique. INRP (TECNE) / Université de Liège.

Feurzeig, W. (2010). Toward a culture of creativity: A personal perspective on Logo’s early years and ongoing potential. International Journal of Computers for Mathematical Learning, 15(3), 257–265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-010-9168-4

Komis, V., Misirli, A., & Karagiannopoulou, S. (2024). Une analyse des affordances technologiques des robots éducatifs pour l’école primaire. In Actes du Colloque Didapro 10 sur la didactique de l’informatique et des STIC (pp. 64–75).

Leroux, P. (2005). Réalisation de micro-robots au collège : Mise au point d’une démarche pédagogique et d’un environnement informatique support des activités. ASTER, 41, 49–77. https://www.persee.fr/doc/aster_0297-9373_2005_num_41_1_1279

Nonnon, P. (2002). Robotique pédagogique et formation de base en science et technologie. Aster : Recherches en didactique des sciences expérimentales, 34(1), 33–49. https://doi.org/10.4267/2042/8787

Ouyang, F., & Xu, W. (2024). The effects of educational robotics in STEM education: A multilevel meta-analysis. International Journal of STEM Education, 11(1), 7.

Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas. Basic Books.

Solomon, C., Harvey, B., Kahn, K., Lieberman, H., Miller, M. L., Minsky, M., Papert, A. & Silverman, B. (2020). History of logo. Proceedings of the ACM on Programming Languages, 4(HOPL), 1-66.

Timeline

  • Notice of intention: until June 29, 2026
  • Full paper due: until August 10, 2026
  • Review provided: around October 19, 2026
  • Revised paper due: around November 16, 2026
  • Publication: April 2027

Send a notice of intention until June 29, 2026

If you want to submit an article, we invite you to send a notice of intention to both the issue coordinator and the editor in the following format and sequence:

-Title;

-Article type (research, practitioner, debate, etc.);

-Summary (half-page).

  • Title;
  • Type of contribution (research article, practitioner article, student article, debate article, etc.);
  • Half-page summary.

Coordination of the special issue:
Frédéric Fournier, Université du Québec à Montréal (fournier.frederic@uqam.ca)
Raoul Kamga, Université du Québec à Montréal (kamga_kouamkam.raoul@uqam.ca))
Brigitte Denis, Université de Liège (b.denis@uliege.be)
Pascal Leroux, Université du Mans (pascal.leroux@univ-lemans.fr)

Editor-in-Chief: Cathia Papi, revue-mediations@teluq.uquebec.ca

Submissions must be made via the journal's website.

At all times, the journal Médiations et médiatisations (Mediation and Mediatization) accepts off-theme submissions for publication in a varia issue.