The Missing Link to Computational Thinking

Abstract

After a lengthy debate within the scientific community about what constitutes the problem solving approach of computational thinking (CT), the focus shifted to enable the integration of CT within compulsory education. This publication strives to focus the discussion and enable future research in an educational setting with a strong focus on the Austrian circumstances and the goal to allow wide international adoption later on. Methodically, a literature review was conducted to gain knowledge about the current strands of research and a meta study to show the diversity of proposed and materialized studies. Three main questions were answered, establishing that CT as an idea is rooted in scientific literature dating back to the 1980s and grew in popularity after Wing introduced the concept to a broader audience. A number of authors contributed to the current state of the field, with the most cited review coming from Grover and Pea. The challenge to integrate CT in curricula around the world was met by many experiments and case studies but without a conclusive framework as of yet. Ultimately, this paper determines that expert integration is a blank spot in the literature and aims to create a strong, inclusive path to CT education by inviting practitioners.

Learning number patterns through computational thinking activities: A Rasch model analysis

“…It also adds to the literature review on the effectiveness of didactic activities that involves CT in mathematics instruction, especially at the secondary level. Despite several challenges such as teacher education and institutional willingness are not fully invested in integration ( Pollak and Ebner, 2019 ), this research shows the possibilities to bring CT into existing school subjects. The development of the CT instructions and assessments serve as resources for the school teachers, curriculum developers, researchers, administrators, and policymakers.…”

Integrating CT into economics: Simulating monetary policy through computer models in spreadsheets by using a Use-Modify-Create strategy

“…In recent years, an increasing amount of literature has been published on CT [8,9,24]. Yet, there is not a general agreement on the definition of CT [20]. In this study, the definition of Cuny et al [5, p. 1] is used: "CT is the thought processes involved in formulating problems and their solutions so that the solutions are represented in a form that can be effectively carried out by an information-processing agent. "…”

Generic Tasks for Algorithms

“…In our globalized and digitalized world of today, it is essential to be skilled in computational thinking (CT) [1,2]. Wing defines CT as "the thought processes involved in formulating a problem and expressing its solution(s) in such a way that a computer-human or machine-can effectively carry out" [3].…”

“…In spite of an ongoing discussion regarding the definition of CT, most researchers usually refer to Wing, as she was the one who originally coined the term [4]. The amount of scientific research targeting CT has increased dramatically over the last years [2]. Even though most researchers agree that young people should acquire CT-related skills [5], there is less consent on the appropriate age for learning CT and on how this goal can be reached [6].…”

“…The latter can partly be attributed to the unclear role of CT in relation to other skills and subjects: Should CT be taught as a separate subject, should it be part of computer science (CS) as some kind of pre-skill (e.g., [7]), or should it be part of other Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects due to its parallels to the more general skills of problem solving and logical thinking? Of course, this question cannot solely be answered on a topical level, but also needs to be addressed in the context of existing school curricula [2]. Integrating new content into K-12 education always poses challenges for administrators and teachers alike, as the already tight schedules often do not allow for additional topics or subjects.…”