Generalist primary school computer science (CS) teachers are often reluctant to introduce CS activities that go beyond CS unplugged tasks. To address this challenge, we drew from constructive alignment principles to implement a new programming modality for primary school: the handwriting programming language (HPL). HPL brings programming…

When the studies on the effectiveness of visual programming language are examined, it is seen that studies on coding teaching have been carried out frequently recently. In this study, Scratch was used as a teaching tool in teaching science lessons. In this way, a new perspective has been brought to Scratch applications. In the related study, the…

Background: Teaching programming and computational thinking is becoming a major issue in many education systems. Numerous approaches are possible, but very few studies compare these different ways of implementing programming and computational thinking learning. Objectives: We compared three ways of teaching programming and computational thinking…

Computer programming is regarded as an important skill for the future. However, many K-12 students face challenges and difficulties in learning traditional text-based programming. Block-based visual programming (BVP) can reduce the difficulty of learning programming and is seen as a potential programming education tool. Nevertheless, the effects…

This study examined the effect of gamification on visual programming and computational thinking skills among primary school students, aiming to investigate how gamified learning environments enhance cognitive skill development and conceptual integration compared to traditional teaching methods. A quasi-experimental design was employed, involving…