The aim of this research is to reveal experiences of instructors in a one-to-one robotics instruction practiced with elementary school students. This research is a case study and data was collected through a structured interview with 27 instructors. According to the content analysis, four themes were revealed as instructor-learner interactions: engagement and motivation, gamification, and instruction process. In the robotics instruction process, the teacher-student interactions were instructor guidance, playing with robots, and asking questions. Instructors state that positive influences on engagement and motivation were due to the instructors encouraging their students to work towards a goal, the robots moving, reinforcements, and including short breaks throughout the process. Moreover, it was emphasized that the scenario should be short, appropriate with students characteristics, interesting and relatable to the real-world. Instructors state that through the robotics instruction process, providing a game and an entertainment environment, it allows students to develop their imagination and to create their own products. In conclusion, it is revealed that robotics instruction process is enjoyable and effective for students, the creative spiral instructional model is a suitable and effective method, and gamification strategies make the process enjoyable by increasing the level of attention and motivation of students. The results of the study can be a pathfinder for practitioners in the designing of robotics instruction processes.
Key words: Robotics education, Elementary students, Instructor experiences, Creative thinking spiral instruction model
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