Teaching programming and computational thinking in early childhood education: a case study of content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge

Abstract

Programming and computational thinking (CT) have been progressively incorporated into early childhood education to prepare children for the digital age. However, little is known about the content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical knowledge (PK) possessed by early childhood teachers in this domain. To address this gap, we conducted a case study of an early childhood teacher in China who had experience developing and implementing an unplugged programming and CT curriculum. The triangulation of data sources was established to collect evidence from videotaped observations, interviews, and lesson plans. For the CK, analysis of these findings revealed that the teacher had a more robust understanding of CT concepts (e.g., sequences, conditionals, and loops) compared to CT practices (e.g., decomposition, debugging) and CT perspectives (e.g., perseverance, choices of conduct). In terms of PK, the teacher could apply the general pedagogical knowledge but was relatively weak in using content-specific pedagogical knowledge. As the first endeavor to investigate an early childhood teacher’s CK and PK in teaching programming and CT, this study provides significant implications for improving teachers’ professional knowledge and teaching effectiveness in this burgeoning area.

Developing young children’s computational thinking through programming with a hybrid kit / Desarrollo del pensamiento computacional infantil a través de la programación con un kit híbrido

“…CT and programming are closely intertwined, with each depending on and reinforcing the other (Zeng et al, 2023b). Programming requires the utilization of CT skills (e.g., decomposition, pattern recognition, algorithmic thinking and abstraction) to develop efficient and effective code (Lye & Koh, 2014), while CT is predominantly cultivated through programming (Voogt et al, 2015).…”

“…El PC y la programación están estrechamente vinculados y mantienen una relación de dependencia y refuerzo mutuos (Zeng et al, 2023b). La programación requiere el uso de capacidades de PC (e.g., descomposición, identificación de patrones, pensamiento algorítmico y abstracción) para desarrollar un código eficaz y efectivo (Lye & Koh, 2014), mientras que el PC se cultiva predominantemente a través de la programación (Voogt et al, 2015).…”

Primary school students' perceptions and developed artefacts and language from learning coding and computational thinking using the 3C model

“…The term coding refers to the concept and skill of programming (Mills et al, 2021; Woo & Falloon, 2023). Programming is the process of creating a sequence of instructions designed to have a digital system execute a specific task or solve a particular problem (Zeng et al, 2023). In Australia, where this study was conducted, the national curriculum includes Digital Technologies as a subject area, which requires primary school classroom instruction in computer coding and computational thinking (Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority [ACARA], 2023a).…”