Computational Thinking Education in the Asian Pacific Region

Abstract

The importance of computational thinking (CT) education in the twenty-first century cannot be understated, as digital computing technologies have become an essential component of practically all human activities. Due to their strength in the ICT industry, countries such as Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China have launched national curricular reforms to address the current movement of CT education in K-12 education. This special issue, therefore, intends to provide insights into the current curricular reform movement of CT education in the Asian Pacific region. It includes six papers presenting studies which expose the recent evidence-driven research and development of CT education. The findings of the studies shed light on the future policy and implementation of CT education in the Asian Pacific region. Integrating CT into formal education involves far more than learning and teaching of computational concepts and coding skills. We hope that this special issue provides better understandings of the current status of CT education in the Asia-Pacific region and the challenges faced by teachers, school administrators, and policy makers as well as other key stakeholders in the education community.