Identification of Problem-Solving Techniques in Computational Thinking Studies: Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Problem-solving skills are an ability that must be cultivated to equip students with the skills needed to deal with today’s increasingly complex and volatile environment. Computational thinking represents a new paradigm in problem-solving skills. After Wing proposed Computational Thinking as problem-solving skills in 2006, other scholars investigated this topic; nevertheless, the link between Computational Thinking and problem-solving has not been clearly discussed in previous studies. To uncover evidence for the connection between Computational Thinking and problem-solving skills, we conduct a systematic literature review of 37 papers collected from Web of Science database. The results indicate that (a) problem-solving is discussed in the 37 articles in the context of Computational Thinking, (b) the most frequently employed Computational Thinking stages in problem-solving skills are decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithm, (c) Computational Thinking is closely linked to problem-solving, and (d) Computational Thinking and problem-solving stages serve the same functions in solving problems. The results of this study will encourage the development of education research, particularly in the application of CT as a problem-solving tool in various real-life scenarios.