The socioeconomic impact of HIV/AIDS on education outcomes in Uganda: School enrolment and the schooling gap in 2002/2003

Due to high prime-age mortality—a result of the HIV/AIDS scourge, the number of orphans in Uganda continues to rise. Using the 2002/2003 Uganda National Household Survey, this paper investigates how HIV/AIDS orphan status affects schooling enrolment and grade progression. Our results show that HIV/AIDS orphans are not significantly less likely to continue schooling but are by far more likely to fall below their appropriate grade. Furthermore, we find that the schooling gaps decreases at higher levels of household welfare status—poor HIV/AIDS orphans, especially aged 13–17 years, are significantly less likely to continue schooling.     

Exploring the potentials of educational robotics in the development of computational thinking: A summary of current research and practical proposal for future work

Educational robotics are increasingly appearing in educational settings, being considered a useful supporting tool for the development of cognitive skills, including Computational Thinking (CT), for students of all ages. Meanwhile, there is an overwhelming argument that CT will be a fundamental skill needed for all individuals by the middle of the twenty-first century and thus, should be cultivated in the early school years, as part of the child’s analytical thinking and as a principal component of Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM) education. This study reviews published literature at the intersection of CT and educational robotics, particularly focused on the use of educational robotics for advancing students’ CT skills in K-12. The reviewed articles reveal initial evidence suggesting that educational robotics can foster students’ cognitive and social skills. The paper discusses specific areas for further inquiry by learning researchers and learning practitioners. Such inquiry should start from a widely agreed definition of CT and validated measurement instruments for its assessment. A practical framework for the development of CT via robotics is next in demand, so as instructional designers and educators can implement it consistently and at scale.