Design-Based Learning and computational thinking (CT) are two key components that support each other specifically in the learning process involving the development of experimental design. Both components emphasize the importance of integration between computational thinking and design-based learning to support a creative, innovative and data…

Guided play activities were developed so that coding clubs could promote computational thinking skills in preschool children. The clubs involved fifteen children aged between 2 and 4 years, including a group of children with communication difficulties. The children took part in an action-research scoping study over three coding clubs involving six…

In this work, we studied the influence of different programming approaches on the development of students' computational thinking (CT) skills, the programming experience and gender differences in CT development were also discussed. A total of 158 junior high school students and one teacher participated in the study over 5 months. The sample…

This study adopted a meta-analysis to explore the effectiveness of unplugged activities (UA) and programming exercises (PE) teaching approaches on computational thinking (CT) education. Through a two-stage literature collection and selection process, 29 articles were included in the meta-analysis, 31 independent effect sizes (16 of UA and 15 of…

Background: Computational thinking (CT) is a way of thinking that helps children solve problems and complete tasks in more organized ways, using computer science skills. Prior research indicates that promoting CT skills in young children can support the acquisition of general problem solving (PS), executive function (EF), and social emotional…

This paper aims at exploring students' experiences when engaging in mathematical problem-solving through computational thinking and programming by a combination of theoretically derived insights and task-based activities. The main method used is a semi-structured interview with two undergraduate students who were presented with a mathematical task…

The role of executive function training in supporting child development has been increasingly studied. Executive function is largely related to the prefrontal cortex. The anterior portion of the prefrontal cortex, which is area 10 on the Brodmann map, is essential for the emergence of higher-order executive functions. Accumulating evidence…

Computational Thinking (CT) has emerged in recent years as a thematic trend in education in many countries and several initiatives have been developed for its inclusion in school curricula. There are many pedagogical strategies to promote the development of elementary school students' CT skills and knowledge. Unplugged learning tasks, block-based…

In this study we analysed what computational thinking skills pupils used when programming a small robot to solve a given problem, a simple programming task in which pupils had to select codes and put them in the correct place. Computational thinking is the process of (re)formulating a problem so that it becomes possible to use computer technology…

Computers infiltrate almost every aspect of our lives, including our homes and cars. For work, education, or personal fulfillment, computing has increased dramatically. The need for an educated workforce is expanding as technology devices become smaller, faster, and more powerful. We can teach students how to use math, logic, and computational…

Emotions play a crucial role in knowledge acquisition and can significantly impact motivation when studying a new field. Unfortunately, young people, especially girls, are often not drawn to Computer Science. To address this issue, we conducted an analysis of emotions among 8-9-year-old and 12-13-year-old students engaged in Computational Thinking…

Physical education teachers who are looking for creative activities that engage students and that meet national and state standards for learning, may find "Balls and Beats" as a perfect solution. "Balls and Beats", in a fun and dynamic atmosphere, covers all the basic needs for effective student learning based upon the the…

This paper examined the effect of the Unplugged Programming Teaching Aids (UPTA) on students' computational thinking and classroom interaction. A set of UPTA was created and used in a primary school in southern China. A total of 48 students aged 6-8 were assigned to two classes, with the same instructor and learning materials, but only the…

The Birthday Paradox problem can be investigated either with a carefully constructed spreadsheet (for greatest precision) or a calculator process (for reasonable precision). A number of ways of approaching this problem as a class activity are provided.

This paper describes analyses of the K-12 computational thinking (CT) integration activities collected at two NSF-funded workshops, "Developing an Interdisciplinary Framework for Integrating Computational Thinking in K-12 Science, Mathematics, Technology, and Engineering Education," held in August and November of 2017 at Education…