Research has shown that educational robotics can be an effective tool to increase students’ acquisition of knowledge in the subjects of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and promote, at the same time, a progression in the development of computational thinking (CT) skills in K–12 (kindergarten to 12th grade) education. Within this research field, the present study first sought to assess the effect of a robotics laboratory on the acquisition of CT-related skills in primary school children. The study also aimed to compare the magnitude of the effect of the laboratory across third- and fourth-grade students. For the purpose of the study, a quasi-experimental post-test-only design was adopted, and a group of 51 students, from third- and fourth-grade classrooms, participating in the robotics laboratories, were compared to a control group of 32 students from classrooms of the same grades. A set of Bebras tasks was selected as an overall measure of CT skills and was administered to children in both the intervention and control groups. Overall, the results showed that programming robotics artefacts may exert a positive impact on students’ learning of computational thinking skills. Moreover, the effect of the intervention was found to be greater among third-grade children.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric conditions in childhood. Observation of the behavior of the young person plays a key role in Cognitive-Behavioural (CB) approaches to the treatment of ADHD, but traditional pen and pen-and-paper based methods have a number of disadvantages which inhibit their use in realworld situations. The WHAAM mobile application (WMA) provides teachers, parents and health experts with features to easily monitor behaviors in a Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely (SMART) way.

Background: The most recent computing technologies can promote the application of evidence-based practice (EBP) in the field of applied behaviour analysis (ABA). Objective: The study describes how the use of technology can simplify the application of EBPs in ABA. Methods: The Web Health Application for ADHD Monitoring (WHAAM) application demonstrates this in the following two case studies. We are monitoring dysfunctional behaviours, collecting behavioural data, performing systematic direct observations, creating both visual baseline and intervention charts and evaluating the planned interventions using the TAU-U statistical index. Results: Significant positive changes of children’s problem behaviours are observed and recorded. Both the duration of the previously identified behaviour ‘to get out of bed in time’ (r = −0.79, TAU-U = −0.58, p < 0.05) and the frequency of the behaviour ‘interrupting others’ (r = −0.96, TAU-U = −0.82, p < 0.01) decreased. Conclusions: The WHAAM application is an effective tool to support functional behaviour assessments and it is an example of how technology can support practitioners by facilitating the application of EBPs and increasing the communication among clinical, educational and family environments.

In recent years, educational researchers and practitioners have become increasingly interested in new technologies for teaching and learning, including augmented reality (AR). The literature has already highlighted the benefit of AR in enhancing learners’ outcomes in natural sciences, with a limited number of studies exploring the support of AR in social sciences. Specifically, there have been a number of systematic and scoping reviews in the AR field, but no peer-reviewed review studies on the contribution of AR within interventions aimed at teaching or training behavioral skills have been published to date. In addition, most AR research focuses on technological or development issues. However, limited studies have explored how technology affects social experiences and, in particular, the impact of using AR on social behavior. To address these research gaps, a scoping review was conducted to identify and analyze studies on the use of AR within interventions to teach behavioral skills. These studies were conducted across several intervention settings. In addition to this research question, the review reports an investigation of the literature regarding the impact of AR technology on social behavior. The state of the art of AR solutions designed for interventions in behavioral teaching and learning is presented, with an emphasis on educational and clinical settings. Moreover, some relevant dimensions of the impact of AR on social behavior are discussed in more detail. Limitations of the reviewed AR solutions and implications for future research and development efforts are finally discussed.

Clinical informatics, decision support for health professionals, electronic health records, and ehealth infrastructures.