Integrating robotics design challenge to foster engineering design and computational thinking in mathematical reasoning of middle school students in Tanzania

This study examined how engineering design and computational thinking relate to mathematical reasoning among Tanzanian 5th- and 6th-grade students participating in a 2-week integrative robotics camp. The camp engaged students in hands-on design, coding, and problem-solving tasks that required applying spatial reasoning and computational logic through building and programming simple robotic systems. A quasi-experimental study comprising of 42 participants between 10 and 12 years completed post-intervention measures that examined engineering design interests, math anxiety, computational thinking, and math reasoning. Internal consistency analysis indicated that all four subscales demonstrated acceptable to excellent reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.86). An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with Promax rotation identified a coherent four-factor structure explaining 49.1% of total variance. Likewise, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) further supported the factorial validity of the model. Strong latent correlations were found between Engineering Design and Computational Thinking (r = 0.94), and moderate associations with Math Reasoning (r = 0.37), suggesting that computational thinking may serve as a cognitive bridge linking mathematical reasoning and design confidence in STEM education.