Characteristics and problems of unplugged computer science curriculum for young children

Abstract

With the progress of computer science education in recent years, more and more educators have brought attention to computer science education among young children. Among all these strategies, the unplugged form has been shown to be more effective in teaching. However, recent studies have focused more on the impact of unplugged computer science courses on young children and less on whether these courses are appropriate for the developmental stage of young children. Therefore, this research summarized the curriculum characteristics by comparing different series of unplugged courses for young children from four nations. Then, in a 7-day workshop conducted in China's urban areas, we explored the issues that arise in the implementation of these courses. This research reveals that, although the existing courses cater to a young age range, four issues can still be found, including difficulty, ability difference, too much cooperation, and emphasis on abstraction. Some of these issues may be handled by instructors, while others need consideration of the connection between curriculum design and the physical and cognitive development levels of young children. Furthermore, this research explored the acceptance of unplugged computer science among Chinese young children as well as its impact on their computational thinking level, achieving positive results.