Effects of a computational thinking intervention program on executive functions in children aged 10 to 11

Castro, Carolina Robledo; Ossa, Luis Fernando Castillo; Martínez, Christian Hederich

doi:10.1016/j.ijcci.2022.100563

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…Indeed, as stated by El-Hamamsy et al (2022d), CT is correlated with other cognitive abilities (e.g. numerical, verbal, non-verbal) (Tsarava et al, 2022) that are related to students' maturation, increase in working memory Gathercole et al, 2004;Cowan, 2016, andexecutive functions (Arfé et al, 2019;Robertson et al, 2020;Robledo-Castro et al, 2023), thus improving their capacity to solve complex computational problems. As such, it is both unsurprising to see significant improvements over time, and difficult to have a single instrument that can be reliably employed in multi-year longitudinal studies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

competent Computational Thinking Test

El-Hamamsy¹,

Zapata-Cáceres²,

Barroso³

et al. 2022

PsycTESTS Dataset

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The introduction of computing education into curricula worldwide requires multi-year assessments to evaluate the long-term impact on learning. However, no single Computational Thinking (CT) assessment spans primary school, and no group of CT assessments provides a means of transitioning between instruments. This study therefore investigated whether the competent CT test (cCTt) could evaluate learning reliably from grades 3 to 6 (ages 7-11) using data from 2709 students. The psychometric analysis employed Classical Test Theory, normalised z-scoring, Item Response Theory, including Differential Item Functioning and PISA's methodology to establish proficiency levels. The findings indicate that the cCTt is valid, reliable and gender-fair for grades 3-6, although more complex items would be beneficial for grades 5-6. Grade-specific proficiency levels are provided to help tailor interventions, with a normalised scoring system to compare students across and between grades, and help establish transitions between instruments. To improve the utility of CT assessments among researchers, educators and practitioners, the findings emphasise the importance of i) developing and validating gender-fair, grade-specific, instruments aligned with students' cognitive maturation, and providing ii) proficiency levels, and iii) equivalency scales to transition between assessments. To conclude, the study provides insight into the design of longitudinal developmentally appropriate assessments and interventions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

competent Computational Thinking Test

El-Hamamsy¹,

Zapata-Cáceres²,

Barroso³

et al. 2022

PsycTESTS Dataset

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“…CT is a kind of constructional thinking that requires transforming problem-solving thinking into a series of cognitive processes (Robledo-Castro et al, 2023). CT requires solving problems by analyzing the problem, simplifying the problem, presenting and interpreting the data, formulating the procedure, and finally implementing the procedure (Kong et al, 2019).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Epistemic Network Analysis to Explore Primary School Students’ Computational Thinking in Pair Programming Learning

Su,

Wang,

Liu

2023

Journal of Educational Computing Research

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Pair programming (PP) can help improve students’ computational thinking (CT), but the trajectory of CT skills and the differences between high-scoring and low-scoring students in PP are unknown and need further exploration. In this study, a total of 32 fifth graders worked on Scratch tasks in 16 pairs. The group discourse of three learning topics (comprising 9 projects) was collected. After the audio files were transcribed, 1,303 conversations were obtained. They were analyzed via Epistemic Network Analysis (ENA) Webkit, which can reveal the trajectory of students’ CT development via analyzing codes of discourse related to CT in PP. Three Scratch learning topics were assessed based on the Dr. Scratch platform to acquire the level of students’ CT and to determine the low- and high-scoring groups. Results indicated that CT concepts and CT practices were always closely related in PP and CT practices, and CT perspectives could be gradually and closely related after a long period of CT training. A significant difference between the two groups’ CT structures was found. The high-scoring group had more fragments of CT practice and connecting of CT perspectives, while the low-scoring group showed more fragments of CT concepts and expressing of CT perspectives. This research provides insights into cultivating primary school students’ CT using Scratch in the context of PP. The findings can provide suggestions for instructors to design instructional interventions to facilitate students’ CT skills via PP learning. Instructors can improve CT skills by guiding students to constantly ask questions, and specifying the role swap between driver and navigator in PP. Besides, instructors could give more consideration to the development of CT perspectives, and especially the ability to question.

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“…The training workshops will be based on the principles of problem-based learning, and the activities will be designed following the principles of low floor / high ceiling. For the design of the computational thinking intervention, the following sources were taken into account: (1) The recommendations emerging from the results of the previously conducted pilot test [ [30] , [45] ]; (2) A broad review of activities, projects, and courses available to teach computational thinking in school contexts; (3) A systematic review of background and similar studies.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among these interventions aimed at children, serious games can be distinguished [ [31] , [32] ], some commercial video games [ [33] , [34] ], programs based on classic tasks [ [35] , [36] ]; interventions that incorporated virtual reality technology [ 37 ], among others. The authors also found that research on computational thinking training is another area of study that has shown different effects of teaching coding and programming on children's executive functions [ [38] , [39] , [40] , [41] , [42] , [43] , [44] , [45] , [46] , [47] , [48] , [49] , [50] , [51] ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent years, some studies have evaluated the effects of teaching computational thinking on executive functions in childhood. Some of these studies have found small to large effects on executive functions such as planning, inhibitory control, goal-directed behavior, visuospatial working memory, and other cognitive processes such as sequencing, fluid intelligence, problem-solving, verbal and nonverbal reasoning., mathematical skills, reflective thinking, and creative thinking [ [38] , [39] , [43] , [45] , [46] , [49] , [50] , [64] , [65] ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of COGNI-MACHINE computational thinking training on executive functions in children aged 9 to 11: Protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial

Robledo Castro,

Rodríguez Rodríguez,

Castillo Ossa

2023

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Effects of a computational thinking intervention program on executive functions in children aged 10 to 11

Cited by 11 publications

References 65 publications

competent Computational Thinking Test

competent Computational Thinking Test

Using Epistemic Network Analysis to Explore Primary School Students’ Computational Thinking in Pair Programming Learning

Effect of COGNI-MACHINE computational thinking training on executive functions in children aged 9 to 11: Protocol of a cluster randomized controlled trial

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