How to Develop Computational Thinking: A Systematic Review of Empirical Studies (original) (raw)
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Development of Computational Thinking Skills through Educational Robotics
2018
Computational thinking (CT) is an important concept in modern education. The scientific community is not only investigating the skills involved in CT but, is also trying to establish how these skills can be developed and through what technological means. Meanwhile, a few studies have investigated the effectiveness of educational robotics (ER) as technological means which can support the development of CT but, issues of measurement of CT (i.e., using validated instruments) seem to hinder the validity of these investigations. In this paper, two quasi-experimental studies were conducted to address students’ CT gains linked to their participation in ER activities. The first study was conducted at a primary school in the Eastern Mediterranean; 15 consented students participated in ER activities for five weeks. The second study included 16 students in a secondary school in the same region, who participated in ER activities for three months. Quantitative results, based on a valid measure o...
A Framework for Computational Thinking Based on a Systematic Research Review
Computational Thinking (CT) has become popular in recent years and has been recognised as an essential skill for all, as members of the digital age. Many researchers have tried to define CT and have conducted studies about this topic. However, CT literature is at an early stage of maturity, and is far from either explaining what CT is, or how to teach and assess this skill. In the light of this state of affairs, the purpose of this study is to examine the purpose, target population, theoretical basis, definition, scope, type and employed research design of selected papers in the literature that have focused on computational thinking, and to provide a framework about the notion, scope and elements of CT. In order to reveal the literature and create the framework for computational thinking, an inductive qualitative content analysis was conducted on 125 papers about CT, selected according to pre-defined criteria from six different databases and digital libraries. According to the results, the main topics covered in the papers composed of activities (computerised or unplugged) that promote CT in the curriculum. The targeted population of the papers was mainly K-12. Gamed-based learning and constructivism were the main theories covered as the basis for CT papers. Most of the papers were written for academic conferences and mainly composed of personal views about CT. The study also identified the most commonly used words in the definitions and scope of CT, which in turn formed the framework of CT. The findings obtained in this study may not only be useful in the exploration of research topics in CT and the identification of CT in the literature, but also support those who need guidance for developing tasks or programs about computational thinking and informatics.
A Model for Developing Computational Thinking Skills
Informatics in Education, 2020
Computer science concepts have an important part in other subjects and thinking computationally is being recognized as an important skill for everyone, which leads to the increasing interest in developing computational thinking (CT) as early as at the comprehensive school level. Therefore, research is needed to have a common understanding of CT skills and develop a model to describe the dimensions of CT. Through a systematic literature review, using the EBSCO Discovery Service and the ACM Digital Library search, this paper presents an overview of the dimensions of CT defined in scientific papers. A model for developing CT skills in three stages is proposed: i) defining the problem, ii) solving the problem, and iii) analyzing the solution. Those three stages consist of ten CT skills:
International Journal of STEM Education
Background Educational robotics (ER) is increasingly used in classrooms to implement activities aimed at fostering the development of students’ computational thinking (CT) skills. Though previous works have proposed different models and frameworks to describe the underlying concepts of CT, very few have discussed how ER activities should be implemented in classrooms to effectively foster CT skill development. Particularly, there is a lack of operational frameworks, supporting teachers in the design, implementation, and assessment of ER activities aimed at CT skill development. The current study therefore presents a model that allows teachers to identify relevant CT concepts for different phases of ER activities and aims at helping them to appropriately plan instructional interventions. As an experimental validation, the proposed model was used to design and analyze an ER activity aimed at overcoming a problem that is often observed in classrooms: the trial-and-error loop, i.e., an o...
Developing computational thinking with a module of solved problems
2021
Computational thinking (CT) has been recognized as a collection of understandings and skills required for new generations of students not only proficient at using tools, but also at creating them and understanding the implication of their capabilities and limitations.The objective of this research was to develop a module of solved problems for the development of CT in first‐year computer engineering students at the University of Cienfuegos, Cuba. Students depend on current research to understand the definition, function, and culture of CT and to consider how it can improve their analytical and critical skills. A contextualized definition of the CT method is proposed as a cognitive process executed by humans to solve problems using computational concepts. This method improves CT in terms of decomposition, pattern recognition, algorithm design, abstraction, data representation, problem decomposition, algorithmic thinking, and generalization of patterns, simulation and evaluation. The ...
The Big Why of Implementing Computational Thinking in STEM Education: A Systematic Literature Review
Computational Thinking (CT) has been increasingly embraced as a reformation in STEM education. This paper discusses why the implementation of CT would have a considerable effect on STEM education. The first objective of this systematic literature review is to identify the subjects that incorporate the most elements of CT in STEM education. Secondly, it aims to provide an overview of CT practices in the classrooms. Finally, the major findings of this study seek to discuss the benefits and challenges of the use of CT in STEM education. Fifteen articles were methodically selected from Scopus, Web of Science, Dimensions, and Google Scholar databases as the relevant studies to be discussed in this systematic study, based on the PRISMA Statement (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) review technique. This review identifies current research gaps and directions for the practice and implementation of CT in STEM education. Further analysis of the articles has contributed to a conclusion that CT has become more widespread and multi-disciplinary and seems to have propagated improvements in STEM education. Still, a new study is required, especially on long-term implications.
Conceptual model of computational thinking through educational robotics
AIP Conference Proceedings
Computational thinking (CT) is useful in daily problem-solving process while educational robotic (ER) is well known as a pedagogical tool in attracting students to learn more in problem solving activities. Both subjects are widely used for formal learning and informal learning regardless of the age and gender of the learners. Both also have big scope. However, there is lack of studies in integrating CT into ER. Thus, nurturing CT through ER remain a challenge. This study focuses on designing a conceptual model of the integration between CT and ER. Validity and reliability are crucial for research trustworthiness. Thus, grounded theory analysis (GTA) is used to analyze the CT concept and ER development from various sources such as the literature, book, discussion and web of contents to make the model more effective, fit, relevance, workability and modifiability. The finding represents a conceptual model that detail out the relationship between CT and ER besides giving benefits to community who are planning, designing, or revising new framework or platform in nurturing CT through ER.
EDULEARN proceedings, 2017
This study presents a 10-year (2006-2016) systematic literature review related to the digital tools which have been used into K-6 education in order to develop Computational Thinking (CT) skills which are of great interest in the research community over the last years. In fact, many attempts have been conducted by various researchers for the development of CT skills in all educational levels using diverse ways. One of these ways is through the use of various digital tools which have been used in students of all ages and across different subjects. Thus, the aim of this paper is to review the CTliterature of the last decade related to primary education with the intention to: (a) identify the digital tools which have been used for the development of CT skills, (b) describe their characteristics and their potentials as educational tools in terms of CT-skill development, (c) demonstrate the ways these tools have been integrated in diverse educational contexts. The analysis of the data shows thatfor students' CT skills' cultivation: (a) twenty-six different digital tools have been used by primary school students, (b) most of these tools are graphical environments which use visual programming languages which were utilized to involve students in learning programming, construct games, develop simulations/models, and program robots, and (c) the most common educational use of these digital tools was for learning programming and in a less extend for game programming and game activities, for collaboration and pair programming, as well as for simulation, modeling and robotic education. It is hoped that, the systematic review that is presented in this study would help other researchers and primary education level educators to devise new digital tools which could be used to develop students' CT skills.
Universal Journal of Educational Research, 2020
Of late, computational thinking (CT) has received a great deal of attention from scholars and educators, given its immense potential in nurturing students' problem-solving skills, which are the type of skills highly needed in today's technology-driven era. For example, in Malaysia, a number of efforts have been pursued to develop strong computational thinking among school students through the implementation of learning activities that nurture such a skill in most of the school subjects. However, previous studies have shown that teachers have a low understanding and misconception about the concept of computational thinking, which could derail such efforts. Furthermore, the lack of studies focusing on motivating students to actively participate in the learning process is further compounding such a predicament. Premised on this context, this study was carried out to examine the impact of cooperative learning on the development of CT skill among a group of 25 Year-3 students, aged 9, which was carried out based on three learning approaches, namely student-centric, hands-on, and inquiry-based approaches. Through such learning, which took place at one private school located in Selangor, Malaysia, the students learned four learning concepts related to a topic of a science subject. In this study, the researcher played the role of a teacher by teaching these students the learning concepts using a lesson plan designed based on the three learning approaches. The methodology used to collect data was based on a class observation and an interview with the science teacher. The analysis of the qualitative data revealed that students were highly engaged and participative in the learning process and were able to learn the scientific concepts of the subject matter with greater efficacy, which was indicative of their improved CT skill. As such, these findings underscore the imperative of developing and nurturing computational thinking among students, with which students would be able to solve complex problems more effectively
Ten Years of Initiatives to Promote Computational Thinking: A Systematic Mapping of Literature
Journal on Computational Thinking (JCThink), 2020
INTRODUCTION: Computational Thinking is a problem solving skill that became well known after Wing's article in 2006. Since then, several researchers have argued this way of thinking can be useful to all people, and much research has been done to promote the development of this skill with different audiences. OBJECTIVE: To discover the state of art of the initiatives carried out in the last decade to promote the development of Computational Thinking, inside and outside Brazil, regardless of the public addressed and the method applied. METHOD: A systematic mapping of the literature was carried out comprising three steps of selection of articles to proceed with data extraction and analysis of results. Three international databases and one national were included to search articles published between 2007 and 2017, in Portuguese and English. From a total of 468 articles, 46 were selected for data extraction and analysis. RESULTS: Mapping allowed us to answer seven research questions, ...