A systematic mapping study on assessing computational thinking abilities

Abstract

Several initiatives have been created to promote Computational Thinking (CT) abilities in students. There are multiple approaches of assessing CT and wide abilities and skills involved. However, the evidence on how to assess CT has not yet been systematically grouped or reviewed. The goal of our study is to identify and classify approaches to promote CT and the different ways of assessing CT abilities. To achieve this goal, a systematic mapping study was planned and executed. The results reveal that: (i) programming courses are the most common pedagogical approaches to promote CT for K-12 students; (ii) multiple skills are involved in CT, but solving problems, algorithms, and abstraction are most common abilities assessed; and (iii) codes and multi-choice questionnaires are the most common artifacts for assessing CT abilities. This study points out to the fact that there are open questions for exploring and developing new researches for promoting and assessing CT abilities.