The aim of this study was to determine how 5-year-old children identified the functional relationship of correspondence, and whether or not they generalized when working on a task that involved programmable robots. We conducted this study with 15 children (9 girls and 6 boys) in their last year of preschool education. The study was designed around…

Background: In the digital age, fostering young children's computational thinking (CT) and executive functions (EFs) through programming has emerged as a significant research issue. While unplugged programming activities are commonly adopted in preschools, robot programming activities have recently gained attention for the potential to enhance…

Computational thinking (CT) is an important twenty-first century skill that begins developing early. Recent interest in incorporating early CT experiences in early childhood education (i.e., preschool) has increased. In fact, the early years mark an important time during which initial competencies are acquired, interest and motivation begins to…

This study delved into the impact of educational robotics, virtual coding, and unplugged coding on the problem-solving, computational thinking (CT), and coding skills of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Employing a pretest-posttest experimental design, the study encompassed 351 EFL students distributed across four groups to compare…

Policy emphases on early childhood and elementary computer science education have led to the development of many developmentally appropriate computer science and robotics tools, pedagogies, and high-quality curricula. One example is the integrated Coding as Another Language pedagogy for coding, literacy, and social and emotional learning. The…

Background: Robot programming can simultaneously cultivate learners' computational thinking (CT) and spatial thinking (ST). However, there is a noticeable gap in research focusing on the micro-level development patterns of learners' CT and ST and their interconnections. Objectives: This study aims to uncover the intricate development patterns and…

There is a growing body of knowledge on coding and computational thinking for young students in mathematics education, and several attempts to lower the threshold for learning programming and programming languages have been reported. This study focuses on the challenges of teaching programming in a linguistically heterogeneous classroom by…

This study aims to develop and validate an age-appropriate, easily manipulated, and robot-based assessment named Computational Thinking Observational Scale (CTOS) for 3- to 5-year-olds. The study sample included 46 preschoolers (M[subscript age] = 3.57 years, SD = 0.36). Expert judgment confirmed excellent content validity, yielding a Scale-level…

With the growing popularity of computational thinking (CT) classes in K-12 schools, it is important to investigate public perceptions of these initiatives. Analyzing public discussions and opinions provides valuable insights that can inform future educational policies and reforms. In this paper, we collected questions and answers related to CT…

Background/purpose: This research explores the use of robotics to facilitate the learning of computer programming among non-specialist pre-service teachers with no prior programming experience. With the increasing demand for 21st-century teaching competencies, it is essential to equip future educators with computational thinking (CT) skills, even…

There is a large disconnect between the increasing need for computer science education in K-12 schools and the preservice teacher training provided. Consequently, preservice teachers may graduate feeling unprepared to infuse computer science concepts such as computational thinking (CT) into their teaching. To address this, we created Robotics in…

Computational thinking (CT) has emerged as a foundational skill for young learners, preparing them to navigate and contribute to an increasingly digital world. This bibliometric analysis utilizes 374 articles from the Web of Science database to explore the research landscape surrounding CT in children's learning, focusing on its applications in…

Computational thinking (CT) is a critical 21st-century skill that equips undergraduate students to solve problems systematically and think algorithmically. A key component of CT is computational creativity, which enables students to generate novel solutions within programming constraints. Humanoid robots are increasingly explored as promising…

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…

Worldwide, the importance of computational thinking (CT) and its integration into the educational process at all levels of education has been highlighted as a fundamental skill for all. Nowadays, there is strong research interest in the integration of CT into curricula as early as kindergarten. As kindergarten teachers play a key role in this…