A framework for measuring abstraction as a sub-skill of computational thinking in block-based programming environments

Çakıroğlu, Ünal; Çevi̇k, İsak

doi:10.1007/s10639-022-11019-2

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Gender and prior programming knowledge play a role in the conditionals, loops, and functions score. Inequalities related to the type of school are evident in only two components: 1) loops and 2) functions, which can be considered the more complex aspects of computational thinking measured by the CTt [48], [49].…”

Section: Results Of the Cross-sectional Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Inequalities in Computational Thinking Among Incoming Students in an STEM Chilean University

González-Pizarro,

López,

Vásquez

et al. 2024

IEEE Trans. Educ.

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While computational thinking arises as an essential skill worldwide, formal primary and secondary education in Latin America rarely incorporates mechanisms to develop it in their curricula. The extent to which students in the region acquire computational thinking skills remains largely unknown. To start addressing this void, this article presents findings from a cross sectional study that characterizes the computational thinking abilities of incoming students at a Chilean university with a strong emphasis on STEM disciplines. Based on more than 500 responses, this study provides evidence of significant inequalities in computational thinking across gender, type of school (private or no), and prior programming knowledge. The discussion offers insights into how these disparities relate to contextual factors of the country, such as a highly socio-economically segregated educational system, public policies focused mainly on technology access, and heavy reliance on voluntary initiatives, to develop computational thinking. The findings can enlighten upcoming research endeavors and formulate strategies to create a more equitable field for students entering STEM degrees in nations facing similar circumstances.

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Section: Results Of the Cross-sectional Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Inequalities in Computational Thinking Among Incoming Students in an STEM Chilean University

González-Pizarro,

López,

Vásquez

et al. 2024

IEEE Trans. Educ.

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“…BBP is considered an effective method to guide novices in the practice of programming (Lin & Weintrop, 2021) and facilitate their problem solving by means of reducing the need for syntactic knowledge (Çakiroğlu & Çevik, 2022). The BBP method is based on constructionism, which asserts that students can better acquire knowledge when they are actively engaged in constructing their own meaningful concepts (Papavlasopoulou et al, 2019), indicating the significance of providing students with adequate scaffolding and enjoyable practices in learning programming.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Programming in a BBP environment takes a programming-command-as-puzzle-piece metaphor to facilitate learners’ understanding of the ways to use commands by means of using visual cues of blocks to prevent combining incorrect or incompatible statements to produce invalid code (Lin & Weintrop, 2021). Some previous studies have illustrated the potential of a BPP environment to improve students’ programming achievements (Çakiroğlu & Çevik, 2022), development of CT (Jiang et al, 2022), and algorithmic thinking (Laura-Ochoa et al, 2022). On the other hand, others have revealed the limits of BBP tools in preparing students for computer science learning (Weintrop & Wilensky, 2019), as well as the requirement to notice the effects of cognitive load (Çakiroğlu et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is worth investigating the impacts of different BBP environments or instructional approaches on students’ programming learning. Furthermore, interdisciplinary applications, unplugged activities, robotics-assisted programming, and block-based programming are common approaches for fostering students’ CT at the K-12 level (Çakiroğlu & Çevik, 2022). Considering the advantage of concept maps and robotics-assisted programming, integrating concept maps into robot block-based programming could be a noticeable approach for enhancing students’ programming learning outcomes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fostering Computational Thinking and Problem-Solving in Programming: Integrating Concept Maps Into Robot Block-Based Programming

Chen,

Chung

2023

Journal of Educational Computing Research

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Computational thinking (CT) has gained considerable attention and in-depth discussion over the last two decades. Although the significance of CT has been highlighted, it could be challenging for educators to teach CT. Fortunately, adopting robots in education has been evidenced to be of benefit to promoting students’ learning motivation, CT, and higher-order thinking skills. However, several significant factors affecting students’ programming performances in robot-assisted learning activities have been identified, such as cognitive needs and organization. In this study, a CMR-BBP (concept map robot block-based programming) approach was designed by integrating concept maps into robot block-based programming to enhance students’ programming learning. Moreover, a three-group experiment was carried out in an elementary school to evaluate their learning outcomes. The experimental results revealed that the CMR-BBP approach benefited the students’ perceptions of their computational thinking and problem solving in comparison with the R-BBP (robot block-based programming) and C-BBP (conventional block-based programming) approaches. Furthermore, regarding cognitive load, both the CMR-BBP and R-BBP approaches enhanced the students’ germane cognitive load, while the CMR-BBP approach effectively reduced their extrinsic cognitive load. This study could be a notable reference for designing other courses in conjunction with programming learning activities.

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“…Relevant literature reviews (Kafai & Proctor, 2022; Lye & Koh, 2014) concluded that SGs created by using interactive environments can become appropriate in several tasks, connecting theory and practice in visual coding for better knowledge acquisition. Previous studies (Çakiroğlu & Çevik, 2022; Pellas & Vosinakis, 2017) have stressed the importance of establishing visual or/and symbolic representations with playful design elements. Such tasks can be easily used by students to introduce and explain CT concepts related to abstraction, algorithms, automation, decomposition, and generalisation for spotting and solving problems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring relationships among students' computational thinking skills, emotions, and cognitive load using simulation games in primary education

Πέλλας

2023

Computer Assisted Learning

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BackgroundOwing to the exponential growth of three‐dimensional (3D) environments amongst researchers and educators to create simulation games (SGs) in primary education, there is a growing interest to examine their potential support in computer science courses instead of visual programming environments.ObjectivesThis study explores the relationships between students' learning performance, focusing on computational thinking (CT) and programming skills development, in association with their cognitive load (mental load and mental effort) and emotions (happiness, anger, anxiety, sadness) by playing SGs.MethodsA total of two hundred and ninety participants (n = 290) in fifth‐grade classes (10–11 years old) of Greek primary schools completed all pre‐and post‐intervention tests. A quasi‐experimental study was conducted over a 14‐week timetable course and in two comparison conditions, in which a SG was created by using OpenSimulator&Scratch4SL and Scratch for the experimental group (n = 145) and the control group (n = 145), respectively. To further investigate the effectiveness of the proposed SG in each teaching intervention, an exploration of relationships between students' learning performance, cognitive load, and emotions through multiple analyses, depending on correlation, t‐tests, correlation, and hierarchal regression was delivered.Results and ConclusionsThe findings indicate that the proposed SG created by using OpenSimulator&Scratch4SL positively affected students' emotions and cognitive load, whereas there was no significant difference in learning gain between the two groups.ImplicationsThe study provides empirical evidence on the effects of SGs on students' knowledge acquisition, highlighting the importance of considering both cognitive and emotional components in the design of these games. The findings also offer valuable insights for implications policy and practice.

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A framework for measuring abstraction as a sub-skill of computational thinking in block-based programming environments

Cited by 9 publications

References 61 publications

Inequalities in Computational Thinking Among Incoming Students in an STEM Chilean University

Inequalities in Computational Thinking Among Incoming Students in an STEM Chilean University

Fostering Computational Thinking and Problem-Solving in Programming: Integrating Concept Maps Into Robot Block-Based Programming

Exploring relationships among students' computational thinking skills, emotions, and cognitive load using simulation games in primary education

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