To drone or not to drone? Results of a pilot study in primary school settings

This study presents the results of a pilot project in which the use of drones for teaching primary school students was examined. In order to implement the project, a framework for their integration in teaching was developed, based on contemporary learning theories. Also, three short interventions were planned and carried out. Although teaching units from the mathematics, physics, and geography courses were selected, the underlying topic was common, namely, metric measurement conversions. The target group was 40 fifth-grade primary school students, divided into two groups. The first group was taught with the use of drones while the second was taught conventionally. Data were collected by means of evaluation sheets and a questionnaire. Results indicated that students in the drones group outperformed students in the conventional teaching group in the Maths evaluation sheet and in all the delayed post-tests. In the other two cases (Physics and Geography evaluation sheets), the results were the same. Students’ attitudes toward drones were highly positive. Finally, the implications of the findings for education are also discussed.