Growth Dynamics of Educational Robotics Clubs Among Urban Youth in South African Cities,

Educational robotics clubs have been established in urban South African cities to promote STEM education among young people aged 16-20. A comprehensive search strategy was employed to identify relevant studies from academic databases. Studies were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria focusing on quantitative data related to club participation, retention rates, and skill development outcomes among participants. The review identified a significant increase in the number of educational robotics clubs over time, with an average annual growth rate of 15%. Educational robotics clubs play a crucial role in increasing youth engagement in computer science, though variations exist across different cities and club models. Future research should explore factors influencing club sustainability and effectiveness, as well as the impact on broader educational outcomes such as critical thinking skills. educational robotics, urban youth, South Africa, STEM education, growth dynamics Model estimation used θ̂=argminθ∑ᵢ(yᵢ,f_θ(xᵢ))+λθ₂², with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.