Unveiling mechanisms of educational change: analyzing outcomes of a computational thinking professional development program

To date, extensive work has been devoted to incorporating computational thinking in K‐12 education. Recognizing students' computational thinking stages in game‐based learning environments is essential to capture unproductive learning and provide appropriate scaffolding. However, few reliable and valid computational thinking measures have been developed, especially in games, where computational knowledge acquisition and computational skill construction are implicit. This study introduced an innovative approach to explore students' implicit computational thinking through various explicit factors in game‐based learning, with a specific focus on Zoombinis , a logical puzzle‐based game designed to enhance students' computational thinking skills. Our results showed that factors such as duration, accuracy, number of actions and puzzle difficulty were significantly related to students' computational thinking stages, while gender and grade level were not. Besides, findings indicated gameplay performance has the potential to reveal students' computational thinking stages and skills. Effective performance (shorter duration, fewer actions and higher accuracy) indicated practical problem‐solving strategies and systematic computational thinking stages (eg, Algorithm Design ). This work helps simplify the process of implicit computational thinking assessment in games by observing the explicit factors and gameplay performance. These insights will serve to enhance the application of gamification in K‐12 computational thinking education, offering a more efficient method to understanding and fostering students' computational thinking skills. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Game‐based learning is a pedagogical framework for developing computational thinking in K‐12 education. Computational thinking assessment in games faces difficulties because students' knowledge acquisition and skill construction are implicit. Qualitative methods have widely been used to measure students' computational thinking skills in game‐based learning environments. What this paper adds Categorize students' computational thinking experiences into distinct stages and analyse recurrent patterns employed at each stage through sequential analysis. This approach serves as inspiration for advancing the assessment of stage‐based implicit learning with machine learning methods. Gameplay performance and puzzle difficulty significantly relate to students' computational thinking skills. Researchers and instructors can assess students' implicit computational thinking by observing their real‐time gameplay actions. High‐performing students can develop practical problem‐solving strategies and exhibit systematic computational thinking stages, while low‐performing students may need appropriate interventions to enhance their computational thinking practices. Implications for practice and/or policy Introduce a practical method with the potential for generalization across various game‐based learning to better understand learning processes by analysing significant correlations between certain gameplay variables and implicit learning stages. Allow unproductive learning detection and timely intervention by modelling the reflection of gameplay variables in students' implicit learning processes, helping improve knowledge mastery and skill construction in games. Further investigations on the causal relationship between gameplay performance and implicit learning skills, with careful consideration of more performance factors, are expected.

STEM professional development program for gifted education teachers: STEM lesson plan design competence, self-efficacy, computational thinking and entrepreneurial skills

Objective: This study aims to examine the influence of computational thinking skills, critical thinking skills, and collaborative thinking skills on the learning outcomes of robotics competencies of Electrical Engineering Education Students. Method: The sample in this study was 150 respondents, all of whom were students of the Electrical Engineering Education Study Program at Universitas Negeri Surabaya. The research data were obtained from filling out the questionnaire and analyzed quantitatively using the SEM PLS analysis technique with the help of the SmartPLS program. Results: This study shows that (1) Critical thinking skills have a positive effect on the educational robotics-based learning system, (2) computational thinking skills have a positive effect on the educational robotics-based learning system, (3) collaborative skills have a positive effect on the educational robotics-based learning system, (4) critical thinking skills have a positive effect on learning outcomes, (5) Computational Thinking Skills have a positive effect on learning outcomes, (6) Collaboration Skills have a positive effect on learning outcomes, (7) educational robotics-based learning systems have a positive effect on learning outcomes. Novelty: Educational robotics-based learning systems can be an ideal platform for developing computational, critical, and collaborative thinking skills among students. The use of robots as interactive and direct learning media through experiments and problem solving. This can help better understand technical concepts and increase confidence in facing complex challenges in the increasingly connected and rapidly changing real world.

Computational thinking skills have been a popular term for teachers worldwide, and PISA 2022 will become the first PISA in evaluating them. Computational thinking helps students enhance their potential in contributing to other disciplines. However, students’ computational thinking skills at SMP Negeri 8 Batam were low. In overcoming the problem, the teacher employed STEAM learning as an alternative approach in stimulating students’ computational thinking skills. A teaching aid, named 4Dframe, was utilised to support the STEAM-based teaching. The objective of this action research study is to illustrate the effect of employing STEAM approach and the 4Dframe as the teaching assistance in developing students' computational thinking skills. The study involved 40 students of 9th grade in SMP Negeri 8 Batam, Indonesia. Three STEAM activities incorporating Warka water tower, Batam-Bintan straw bridge, and planting machine were performed in eight online meetings. In each activity, the students administered decomposition, abstraction, pattern recognition, and algorithm as the cornerstones of computational thinking. The data were gathered through observational forms during the learning and test to evaluate students’ computational thinking skills. The results present that 73% and 88% of students acquired the minimum score for the computational thinking post-tests on the first and second cycle respectively. Although sample and methodology limitations prevent any claim to generalisation, this learning strategy could be implemented as an alternative for conducting mathematics learning activities in elevating students’ computational thinking skills with students in similar contexts.

Educational robotics or unplugged coding activities in kindergartens?: Comparison of the effects on pre-school children's computational thinking and executive function skills

Does text-based programming improve K-12 students’ CT skills? Evidence from a meta-analysis and synthesis of qualitative data in educational contexts

Cultivating students' computational thinking skills is one of the important teaching goals of college computer courses, and constructing a scientific and effective structural framework for computational thinking is the basis for implementing computational thinking training. To this end, based on Sternberg's intelligence education theory, combined with software development and programming knowledge, a structural framework of computational thinking was constructed. Subsequently, a project-based teaching activity based on this framework to cultivate students' computational thinking skills was carried out in the college computer programming course "Software Development Technology". By measuring students' computational thinking skills before and after the activity, it was verified that the project-based teaching model based on the proposed framework had a significant effect on improving students' computational thinking skills. By constructing a structural framework of computational thinking that integrates the characteristics of disciplines, and taking programming teaching as a carrier to implement the cultivation of computational thinking skills, it can provide a new way for computer educators to cultivate students' computational thinking skills.

Two studies were conducted to examine the use of grounded embodied pedagogy, construction of Imaginary Worlds (Study 1), and context of instructional materials (Study 2) for developing learners' Computational Thinking (CT) Skills and Concept knowledge during the construction of digital artifacts using Scratch, a block-based programming language. Utilizing a conceptual framework for grounded embodied pedagogy called Instructional Embodiment, learners physically enacted (Direct Embodiment) and mentally simulated (Imagined Embodiment) the actions and events as presented within pre-defined Scripts. Instructional Embodiment utilizes action, perception, and environment to create a dynamic, interactive teaching & learning scenario that builds upon previous research in embodied teaching and learning. The two studies described herein examined the effects of Instructional Embodiment, Imaginary World Construction, and Context on the development of specific Computational Thinking Concepts and Skills. In particular, certain CT Concepts, such as Conditionals, Variables, Thread Synchronization, Collision Detection, & Events, and CT Skills, such as abstraction and pattern recognition, were identified and measured within the learners' individual digital artifacts. Presence and/or frequency of these Concepts and Skills were used to determine the extent of Computational Thinking development. In Study 1, fifty-six sixth- and seventh-grade students participated in a fifteen-session curricular program during the academic school day. This study examined the type of instruction and continuity of Imaginary World Construction on the development of certain CT Skills and Concepts used in a visual novel created in Scratch. Main effects were found for learners who physically embodied the pre-defined instructional materials: embodying the pre-defined Scripts led to the learners using significantly more ‘speech’ Blocks in their projects and more Absolute Positioning Blocks for ‘motion’ than those who did not physically embody the same Scripts. Significant main effects were also found for continuity of Imaginary World Construction: learners who were instructed to continue the premise of the first digital artifact (Instructional Artifact) implemented significantly more computational structures in their second digital artifact (Unique Artifact) than those who were instructed to create a Unique Artifact with a premise of their own design. In Study 2, seventy-eight sixth- and seventh-grade students participated in a seventeen-session curricular program during the academic school day. This study examined the type of instruction and context of instructional materials on the development of CT Skills and Concepts during the construction of a video game using Scratch. Similar to Study 1, findings suggest that physically embodying the actions presented within the pre-defined instructional materials leads to greater implementation of many of these same structures during individual artifact construction. The study also showed that as the pre-defined Scripts become more complex (e.g. single-threaded to multi-threaded), the effect of physical embodiment on the development of CT Skills and complex CT Concept structures becomes less pronounced. Findings from this study also suggest that Context has a significant effect on identifying & implementing the CT Skill pattern recognition: learning CT Concepts from an Unfamiliar Context had a significant positive effect on the implementation of both Broadcast/Receive couplings and Conditional Logic & Operator patterns. In sum, the findings suggest that the type of instruction, the continuity of the Imaginary World being constructed, and the context of the instructional materials all play a significant role in the learners' ability to develop certain Computational Thinking Skills and Concept knowledge. The findings also suggest that a physically embodied approach to teaching abstract concepts that is grounded in an unfamiliar context is the most effective way to integrate a grounded embodied approach to pedagogy within a formal instructional setting.

<span lang="EN-US">Based on the study, computational thinking skills are influenced by science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills, and there is a relationship between computational thinking skills and 21st-century skills. However, studies related to STEM attitudes, computational thinking and their impact on 21st-century skills are still very few and limited. The purpose of our study was to examine the impact of STEM attitudes and computational thinking on 21st-century. This research uses a quantitative approach. The participants of this study were students of a vocational school in Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta, Indonesia (N=290). Research data in STEM attitude, computational thinking, and 21st-century skills using a questionnaire. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling techniques using the Smart PLS application. The results of the study obtained several findings, including: the model proposed in this study was valid; STEM attitude has a positive and significant effect on computational thinking; and computational thinking has a positive and significant effect on 21-st century skills. It can be argued that when STEM attitudes and computational thinking are more positive, 21-st century skills will improve. These findings have implications that curriculum development and STEM learning practices have to develop students’ computational thinking skills and 21st-century skills, especially in vocational schools.</span>

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between primary school teachers' 21st century skills self-efficacy levels and their computational thinking skills and STEM implementations self-efficacy levels. The sample of the study consists of 440 primary school teachers. While determining the sample of the research, convenience sampling technique, one of the purposeful sampling methods, was used. In order to collect data within the scope of the research, "Personal Information Form", "STEM Implementations Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale", "Computational Thinking Skill Scale" and "21st Century Skills Self-Efficacy Perception Scale" were applied. SPSS 22 package program was used to analyze the data obtained in the study. Since the data of the research showed normal distribution, Pearson correlation and multiple regression were analyzed. According to the results of Pearson correlation analysis conducted in this study, it was determined that there was a weak positive relationship between STEM implementations self-efficacy variable and 21st century skills self-efficacy computational thinking skills variables. In addition, it was determined that the relationship between the 21st century skills self-efficacy variable and the computational thinking skills variable was positive and moderate. According to the results of multiple regression, it was determined that primary school teachers' computational thinking and 21st century skills self-efficacy levels significantly predicted STEM implementations teacher self-efficacy level. As a result, it was determined that 21st century skills self-efficacy and computational thinking skills affect STEM implementation self-efficacy levels.

In this chapter you will learn how a community college in rural Wyoming is implementing professional development resources in Computer Science and computational thinking skills for middle and high school teachers in their communities. The objective of the community college was to build relationships with schools to teach Computer Science concepts and computational thinking skills in the classroom. In this day and age, many people young and old are spending time on playing games or simulations. Why not teach Computer Science concepts and computational thinking skills through gaming and simulations? The project included teaching teachers about computational thinking patterns when teaching their students computer gaming and simulation creations. The creation of computer games and simulations requires algorithmic, critical thinking, problem-solving, and computational thinking skills. Teachers were taught what computational thinking patterns are, how to teach their students about computational thinking patterns, and how to create computer games and simulations stressing computational thinking skills. The teacher progress is measured by recorded observations, completed student projects, and surveys.

The growing interest of educational researchers in computational thinking (CT) has led to an expanding literature on assessments of CT skills and attitudes. However, few studies have examined whether CT attitudes influence CT skills. The present study examines the relationship between CT attitudes and CT skills for preservice teachers (PSTs). The Callysto CT test (CCTt) for Teachers was administered to <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$n\,\,=$ </tex-math></inline-formula> 105 PSTs to measure their CT attitudes and skills. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the relationship of participants' CT and problem-solving skills with their attitudes toward CT, technology, coding, and data. Findings revealed that CT attitudes predicted CT skills and provided the first step in exploring the validity and reliability of the CCTt instrument.

This paper presents a systematic literature review of professional development programs in computational thinking (CT). CT has emerged as an essential set of skills that everyone should develop to participate in a global society. However, there were no pre-service or in-service teacher programs to integrate CT into the K–12 classrooms until very recently. Thus, it is important to identify how educators and researchers address the challenges to prepare the next generation of students and what gaps persist in the current literature. We review existing work in this field from two perspectives: First, we analyze the learning outcomes, assessment methods, pedagogical approaches, and pedagogical tools used in the professional development programs in CT. Second, we examine how these programs assess the teachers’ knowledge and skills as outcomes. We used the technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) framework to characterize existing literature and identify possible gaps in the preparation of pre-service and in-service teachers in CT. Our results suggest that (1) existing evidence is limited to developed countries; (2) many studies are only focusing on teachers understanding the concepts but do not explore how the participants evaluate or create learning activities; (3) no studies look into classroom observations as part of the program, which limits our understanding to how these programs work; and (4) most programs use block-based programming languages as the tool to develop student CT. While block-based programming languages are used for introductory training programs, students are often expected to transfer their learning to more professional programming languages.

Computational thinking skill is a skill that has its origins in ancient times but has gained importance today. The competences provided to individuals by computational thinking skills are also of great importance for the education system. Therefore, it is important for students to acquire and develop these skills in order to adapt to the requirements of the modern world. Based on this, in this study, the level of information processing thinking skills of higher education students was examined and the level of this skill was investigated in line with different variables. 'Computational Thinking' scale was used as a data collection tool in the study. Cronbach Alpha internal consistency coefficient of the scale. 96 was calculated as. Demographic characteristics such as gender, department, class and education level were taken into consideration. Quantitative research method was used in the study. The research was conducted with 298 participants studying in higher education. In the analysis of the data, independent t-test and ANOVA analyses were applied to determine the score differences between the groups. As a result of the study, higher education students were found to have high levels of computational thinking skills. Gender was found to be effective on computational thinking skills. As the level of education increased, it was determined that computational thinking skills increased. It was seen that the education given in different departments had an effect on computational thinking skills. Finally, it was found that there were significant changes in students' computational thinking skills as their grade level increased.

Current research indicates the presence of highly skilled and motivated students with robust computational thinking backgrounds seeking opportunities to leverage their expertise in driving innovation and success in this era. These studies also reveal that students' computational thinking skills vary widely depending on educational resources, curriculum emphasis, and individual aptitude. Nonetheless, there is a growing recognition of the importance of fostering these skills, with efforts underway to integrate them more comprehensively into education systems worldwide, including in Indonesia and Japan, as representatives of developing and developed countries. Therefore, assessing the competency of computational thinking in these two countries would be intriguing. The descriptive qualitative research method was employed to delineate the computational thinking competencies of students in Indonesia and Japan. Student worksheets, specifically designed for this purpose, were utilized to gauge the development of these competencies during the learning process using the Scratch application. The results revealed that students employed various strategies in solving the given geometry problems. On the other hand, geometry is one of the mathematics topics that can identify students' computational thinking using this application. These findings were utilized to categorize students' computational thinking skills in the two countries and to identify potential obstacles students experienced in their efforts to enhance these skills. Nevertheless, these constraints offer significant insights into potential areas for future investigation and enhancement. Subsequent endeavors could prioritize conducting experiments by implementing specific learning approaches or methods that have demonstrated effectiveness in improving students' computational thinking skills. This study not only underscores the potential for expanding research on students' computational thinking skills but also provides an overview of the learning process, learning culture, and students' competence in solving geometry problems with tiered difficulty levels using their computational thinking skills.