Publication Trends Over 10 Years of Computational Thinking Research

Abstract

The current study aimed to review studies on computational thinking (CT) indexed in Web of Science (WOS) and ERIC databases. A thorough search in electronic databases revealed 96 studies on computational thinking which were published between 2006 and 2016. Studies were exposed to a quantitative content analysis through using an article control form developed by the researchers. Studies were summarized under several themes including the research purpose, design, methodology, sampling characteristics, data analysis, and main findings. The findings were reported using descriptive statistics to see the trends. It was observed that there was an increase in the number of CT studies in recent years, and these were mainly conducted in the field of computer sciences. In addition, CT studies were mostly published in journals in the field of Education and Instructional Technologies. Theoretical paradigm and literature review design were preferred more in previous studies. The most commonly used sampling method was the purposive sampling. It was also revealed that samples of previous CT studies were generally pre-college students. Written data collection tools and quantitative analysis were mostly used in reviewed papers. Findings mainly focused on CT skills. Based on current findings, recommendations and implications for further researches were provided.

Computational thinking in higher education: A review of the literature

“…All papers in the data set were published in 2013 or after. This lines up with previous research into computational thinking trends that showed that the number of studies around computational thinking started growing around the year 2013 [16]. This also aligns with the general trends of computational thinking literature broadly [16].…”

“…This lines up with previous research into computational thinking trends that showed that the number of studies around computational thinking started growing around the year 2013 [16]. This also aligns with the general trends of computational thinking literature broadly [16]. However, much of this study continues to be definitional, as well as research that presents ideas, rather than empirical [14,20].…”

“…Since Wing [52] brought the term computational thinking to the forefront of the educational research field, there has been a dramatic increase in studies looking into the concept of computational thinking. Although the term began to gain traction in 2006, 7 years later in 2013, there was a sharp spike in the literature around computational thinking [16]. Much of the focus of this study, however, has been on K-12 education [16].…”

“…Although the term began to gain traction in 2006, 7 years later in 2013, there was a sharp spike in the literature around computational thinking [16]. Much of the focus of this study, however, has been on K-12 education [16]. This is likely, in part, the result of national efforts to incorporate computational thinking and other aspects of computing into the primary and secondary curriculum [35].…”

On Computational Thinking and STEM Education

“…Several articles published over the past several years have summarized and highlighted related development in CT research (e.g., Fennell et al 2020;Grover and Pea 2013;Ilic et al 2018;Kalelioglu et al 2016;Shute et al 2017;Tang et al 2020a). For example, Shute et al (2017) searched several databases (e.g., ERIC and PsycINFO) and selected, reviewed, and discussed 45 articles published since 2006 to come up with a working definition of CT, which emerged from their review primarily as a way of thinking and acting.…”