Algorithmic Thinking Skills Research Articles

Enhancing Algorithmic Thinking Skills through Phygital Games: The Case of Space Codyssey

This paper presents an educational phygital game, Space Codyssey, aiming at cultivating the algorithmic thinking skills of young children. Space Codyssey is a phygital game, and its contains programming activities for the Sequence, Repetition, and Selection Structures, as well as Code Debugging activities (Debugging). The game utilizes Augmented Reality technology to present missions via QR cards. Additionally, digital storytelling is used as a means of assistance and teaching for preschool and early primary students. In the game, reading skills are not a prerequisite, and programming is accomplished using symbolic commands through a "Visual Programming Language." The participatory design methodology that was adopted, involving 28 educators from various specialties, reflects a holistic approach to the development of educational technologies. This interdisciplinary collaboration allowed for the integration of diverse pedagogical perspectives, ensuring that the game meets the multifaceted needs of modern education. The paper highlights the educational goals and learning outcomes for the designtated age group. It presents the scenario, the subject, the elements of the game, the rules, and the game mechanics. It also describes the implementation stages and the development of the application. Finally, it presents the results from a study, which involved 28 educators and aimed to improve the game before its use in educational settings.

Development of algorithmic thinking skills in K-12 education: A comparative study of unplugged and digital assessment instruments

In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital competencies, the need for a robust and universal method to assess students’ algorithmic thinking (AT) skills has become increasingly pronounced. Algorithmic thinking refers to the ability to analyse a problem and develop a step-by-step process to solve it.This research investigates the efficacy of the Cross Array Task (CAT) as an assessment tool for AT skills within Switzerland’s compulsory education system. Originally conceptualised as an unplugged activity, where students performed the task without digital technologies (e.g., by using gestures on paper) and an administrator manually assessed them, the CAT evolved into a digital activity that runs on an iPad. The CAT’s digital transformation has automated the scoring of student responses and data collection, streamlining the assessment processes and facilitating efficient large-scale assessments. It has also enhanced scalability, making the CAT suitable for widespread use in educational settings. Furthermore, it provides immediate feedback to students and educators, supporting timely interventions and personalised learning experiences.Our study aims to comprehensively investigate algorithmic competencies in compulsory education, examining their variations and influencing factors. This research examines key variables, such as age, sex, educational environment and school characteristics (e.g., the level and grade of education), and regional factors (e.g., the canton of the school) in Switzerland, and characteristics related to the specific assessment tool, including the type of artefact used, the complexity of the algorithms generated, and the level of autonomy. Additionally, it seeks to analyse the effectiveness of the unplugged and digital approaches in assessing AT skills, specifically comparing the unplugged and virtual CAT versions, aiming to provide insights into their advantages and potential synergies.This investigation delineates the developmental progression of AT skills across compulsory education, emphasising the influence of age on algorithm development and problem-solving strategies. Furthermore, we reveal the impact of artefacts and the potential of digital tools to facilitate advanced AT skill development across diverse age groups. Finally, our investigation delves into the influence of school environments and sex disparities on AT performance, alongside the significant individual variability influenced by personal abilities and external circumstances.These findings underscore the importance of tailored educational interventions and equitable practices to accommodate diverse learning profiles and optimise student outcomes in AT across educational settings.

EDUCATION OF CODE, PROBLEM SOLVING, ALGORITHMICAL THINKING IN PRIMARY CLASS PUPILS

In this article, early learning classically includes reading, writing, and mathematics. The importance of addition in "counting" as a basic skill that every child should learn. The goal is development. Computational thinking does not come naturally and requires training and guidance. This study was conducted to determine the effects of coding education on elementary school pupils. It has a positive effect on elementary school pupils' attention, problem solving, and algorithmic thinking skills. In particular, the ideas of Turkish scientists about the concepts of coding education in primary grades should first be reflected in human thinking. The coding training used in this study contributed to the development of basic algorithmic skills in pupils, such as "when faced with any problem, they can easily write an algorithm for that problem or perform an algorithmic procedure when performing any task." happy In our country, the attention paid to elementary school textbooks and the impact of changes in them on the educational process is known to a significant extent. Topics in primary school textbooks are becoming more and more complex. As a result, the school assigns a more responsible task to primary school teachers.

Algo-AR: Development of an Augmented Reality-Supported Tangible Programming Tool to Improve Algorithmic Thinking Skills

The main purpose of this study is to develop an educational tool to help children acquire algorithmic thinking skills at an early age while having fun. The methodology combines modern technologies and approaches such as augmented reality (AR), gamification, and tangible user interfaces. In this application, the coding components consist of specially designed tangible command blocks in the form of jigsaw puzzle pieces. The application contains a 3D multi-level game environment, and the user is expected to control the game character by constructing an algorithm with physical command blocks. The constructed algorithm is scanned using a mobile AR application and converted into code that controls the game environment. The major design considerations during the development of this application were simplicity and accessibility. All design decisions were delineated extensively in the paper. In conclusion, an augmented reality-based gamified tangible programming kit is proposed to improve children’s algorithmic thinking skills at an early age. The application requires only a smartphone and printable command blocks. Thus, an inexpensive, accessible, and entertaining educational tool is developed.

Unleashing the potential: illuminating pedagogical strategies employed by early childhood educators in stem education for cultivating algorithmic thinking skills in young learners

ABSTRACT In the digital age, it's crucial to equip children with twenty-first-century skills, including programming and other competencies such as creativity, analytical thinking, and collaboration. This study introduces an integrated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum focused on computer science for educators. It explores the pedagogical strategies employed by early childhood teachers to enhance children’s algorithmic thinking skills. Descriptive analysis of videos depicting coding instruction in three cases revealed that teachers used question & answer and unplugged strategies to support algorithmic thinking. However, these practices primarily targeted lower-order thinking skills. Teachers employed algorithm design, reading and tracing code as programming-specific approaches. Additionally, worksheets with puzzles/grids and grid board games were commonly used as scaffolding materials in coding activities.

Developing a game-based test to assess middle school sixth-grade students’ algorithmic thinking skills

This study was carried out to develop a test to assess algorithmic thinking skills. To this end, the twelve steps suggested by Downing (2006) were adopted. Throughout the test development, 24 middle school sixth-grade students and eight experts in different areas took part as needed in the tasks on the project. The test was given to 252 students attending the sixth grade who were selected through purposeful sampling. The content validity of the test was ensured by means of obtaining expert opinion, whereas the construct validity was ensured by performing an independent sample t-test on the difference between the lower and upper groups. As a result, the algorithmic thinking skills assessment test was finalized with 22 main items and 2 sample items, totalling 24 items. The KR-20 reliability analysis proved a quite reliable test based on the reliability coefficient of 0.83. As mentioned earlier, the independent sample t-test was applied to the difference of lower and upper groups for construct validation of the test. It was seen that the test items are significant in discriminating the students in the lower and upper groups (p<0.01).

Alk: A Formal-Methods-based Educational Platform for Enhancing Algorithmic Thinking

Algorithm design courses are fundamental to computer science curricula, but fostering algorithmic thinking in students is challenging due to the diverse skills and creativity required. Dedicated teaching support tools can help both course instructors and students in this effort. We have developed the Alk platform to promote algorithmic thinking, leveraging the theoretical foundations of Matching Logic. Alk features an intuitive algorithm language that provides a flexible computational model suitable for analysis, symbolic execution, and checking properties of algorithms. In this paper, we present an overview of the Alk platform tool and demonstrate, through use cases, how it fosters various algorithmic thinking skills. We conclude that the Alk platform is a valuable tool for learning and teaching algorithms, effectively enhancing students’ understanding and skills. Future work will extend its capabilities of supporting symbolic execution, probabilistic algorithms, as well as estimation of execution time, further broadening its impact on computer science education.

The use of digital technologies in education: the case of physics learning

The article reveals the trends in the use of digital technologies in teaching physics by summarizing scientific results over the past 20 years. To solve the problem, a bibliographic analysis of the sources of the scientometric database of the WOS was used with the involvement of the computer tool VOSviewer (for the construction and visualization of bibliographic data) as of June 2023. The tool was used to analyse publications by keywords (a network of connections is built on the basis of all keywords of given publications). Networks of connections of keywords were built according to the queries: “physics learning”, “physics education”, “physics teaching” and “technologies”, as well as “digital technologies in teaching physics”, “physics application”, “mobile physics learning”, “virtual physics laboratory”, “digital physics laboratory”, “virtual reality & physics”, “augmented reality & physics”. The landscape of the use of digital technologies in teaching physics is characterized by four aspects (general, technological, educational-motivational, educational-organizational). Modern trends in teaching physics are singled out: the use of environments where simulation, modelling, visualization, virtualization of physical processes, etc. are possible; increasing popularity of virtual, augmented and mixed reality tools; use of mobile applications for learning physics; using artificial intelligence to teach physics; organization of an educational environment based on mobile or online learning, where active learning methods are determined to be appropriate. The importance of developing young people's intellectual skills (computational skills, algorithmic thinking skills, modelling processes, etc.) and visual thinking for the successful mastery of various sections of physics has been confirmed. The demand for integration links between natural sciences, mathematics, engineering, and digital technologies for STEM education has been monitored. Recommendations for the training of physics teachers have been formulated.

El impacto del uso de Scratch para favorecer el pensamiento algorítmico en estudiantes de educación superior

This research work presents the proposal of a technopedagogical intervention strategy aimed at promoting algorithmic thinking. The construct of algorithmic thinking is defined, and the selected technopedagogical strategy is described, which involves the use of the Scratch programming environment to develop algorithmic thinking through an electronic platform. The research was conducted using a quantitative, cross-sectional, and descriptive approach with a pretest-posttest design for a group of 48 students majoring in Computer Systems Administration at the University of Veracruz who were taking the educational experience in Algorithm Design and Implementation. The Wilcoxon test for related samples in SPSS was used to accept or reject the research hypothesis, which allowed for the observation of favorable results in the posttest compared to the pretest, concluding that the use of Scratch contributes to algorithmic thinking skills.

Examining the Building and Coding Tasks Developed by Pre-service Mathematics Teachers in Terms of Curriculum Integration

Interdisciplinary approach recommended for use in the teaching mathematics in the last decade, the related literature shows that limited study focused on the reflection of the interdisciplinary approach in teaching practice. The aim of this study is to evaluate pre-service mathematics teachers’ task development processes on interdisciplinary approaches through building and coding tasks. Research was conducted with 28 pre-service mathematics teachers studying at a mathematics education department in Turkey. Data were gathered from the analysis of lesson plans and semi-structured interviews. The findings that were obtained through the lesson plans of the participants indicated that participants were able to associate building tasks more with numbers content domain and mathematical modeling skills, and coding tasks with geometry content domain and algorithmic thinking skills. The participants stated that tasks involving coding in their lesson plans would be more useful in terms of teaching mathematics and listed the factors limiting the use of building tasks as technical knowledge and cost.

The teaching of Robotics to prospective teachers and its application in the classroom

Research activities are one of the most successful strategies to apply STEM education in complete secondary education. It is carried out by the completion of specific tasks. The professional activity of teachers of science and mathematical disciplines in STEM education is targeted at the formation and development of students' mental, cognitive, and personal qualities. Their level impacts students' ability to advance in a successful specialty STEM industry. It also entails developing the skill and willingness to tackle complicated problems, which is attainable with the proper amount of critical thinking, creativity, cognitive flexibility, teamwork, and the ability to carry out research activities. The nature of the interaction between disciplines and the degree of integration are determined in this article. The place of project activity on robotics in school training is explored, and it defines the skills that are produced as a result of such project activities. The prospect of teaching robotics to future teachers within the context of existing curricula is also examined. STEM education can be defined in a variety of ways, ranging from a straightforward list of "exact" or "engineering" subjects to creative activity. This field has become synonymous with scientific and research work: research and experiments. In this regard, robotics is an effective technique of developing STEM education. The findings revealed that prospective instructors were mostly able to include robots into STEM-based science teaching. Furthermore, prospective teachers proposed that robots be introduced into all classes, particularly science, in order to improve students' problem-solving and algorithmic thinking skills. However, this is a novel instrument, and schools have shown little interest in researching it. As a result, our paper focuses on identifying chances to incorporate the fundamentals of robotics in education. The article developed course standards based on the educational needs of future science, mathematics, and engineering teachers. The study provides an example of project implementation in robotics, describes the stages of execution together with the educational outcomes.

An Evaluation of the Effect of Activity-Based Computational Thinking Education on Teachers: A Case Study

This study aimed to conduct an in-depth evaluation of the activity-based computational thinking teaching practices performed to improve computational thinking and teaching skills of the basic education teachers. Based on the aim of the study, the case study design, one of the qualitative research methods, was selected. As a result of the collaborative work of five experts, a 20-hour education program built on two core competencies, four sub-competencies and eight thinking skills was implemented. The participants were 40 teachers, 20 of whom were classroom teachers and 20 of whom were pre-school teachers. Data were collected from three different sources using five data collection tools in order to conduct an in-depth analysis of the practices. Quantitative and qualitative data collection tools were used in a combined fashion in the research. The data were analyzed through content analysis and non-parametric analyses. Our findings revealed that thanks to the teaching practices performed, classroom teachers had significantly higher problem solving, diverse thinking, algorithmic thinking, and computational thinking total scores, while preschool teachers achieved significantly higher total scores in algorithmic thinking skills and computational thinking. It was observed that the participants defined computational thinking on the basis of 18 different thinking skills. The explanations of the participants about the functions of computational thinking skills were grouped under seven categories. When the principles that should be considered in the teaching of computational thinking skills were examined, it was seen that the need for utilizing scaffolds was stated the most.

Investigating difficulties and enhancing understanding in linear algebra: Leveraging SageMath and ChatGPT for (orthogonal) diagonalization and singular value decomposition.

We explored some common challenges faced by undergraduate students when studying linear algebra, particularly when dealing with algorithmic thinking skills required for topics such as matrix factorization, focusing on (orthogonal) diagonalization and singular value decomposition (SVD). To address these challenges, we introduced SageMath, a Python-based open-source computer algebra system, as a supportive tool for students performing computational tasks despite its static output nature. We further examined the potential of dynamic ChatGPT, an AI-based chatbot, by requesting examples or problem-solving assistance related to (orthogonal) diagonalization or the SVD of a specific matrix. By reinforcing essential concepts in linear algebra and enhancing computational skills through effective practice, mastering these topics can become more accessible while minimizing mistakes. Although static in nature, SageMath proved valuable for confirming calculations and handling tedious computations because of its easy-to-understand syntax and accurate solutions. However, although dynamic ChatGPT may not be fully reliable for solving linear algebra problems, the errors it produces can serve as a valuable resource for improving critical thinking skills.

The Effect of Unplugged Coding Education on Primary School Students' Gather Attention, Problem Solving and Algorithmic Thinking Skills

Bu araştırma, bilgisayarsız kodlama eğitiminin ilkokul öğrencilerinin dikkatlerini toplama düzeyi, problem çözme ve algoritmik düşünme becerileri üzerindeki etkisini belirlemek amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışmada nicel araştırma modeli kapsamındaki ön test son test tek gruplu zayıf deneysel desen kullanılmıştır. Çalışma grubunu Mersin’in bir merkez ilçesinde bulunan bir devlet okulunda öğrenim gören 13 kız ve 10 erkek öğrenciden oluşan toplam 23 üçüncü sınıf öğrencileri oluşturmuştur. Veriler Burdon Dikkat Testi, Problem Çözme Becerisi Etkinlik Kâğıdı, Algoritmik Düşünme Becerisi Etkinlik Kâğıdı ve yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılarak toplanmıştır. Çalışma sonunda, uygulanan kodlama eğitiminin katılımcı ilkokul öğrencilerinin dikkatini toplama, problem çözme ve algoritmik düşünme becerileri üzerinde anlamlı düzeyde ve pozitif yönde bir etkisinin olduğu görülmüştür. Öğrenciler, kodlama etkinliklerinin hızlı düşünebilmelerini ve anlayabilmelerini sağladığını, doğru tahmin edebilme becerisini geliştirdiğini, farklı çözüm yolları bulabildiklerini, yön kavramını öğrendiklerini, algoritmayı kavrayabildiklerini, kodlama eğitiminin çok eğlenceli ve eğitici olduğunu belirtmişlerdir.

Assessing Algorithmic Thinking Skills in Relation to Age in Early Childhood STEM Education

In the modern digital era, intensive efforts are made to inject computational thinking (CT) across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, aiming at formulating a well-trained citizenry and workforce capable of confronting intricate problems that would not be solvable unless exercising CT skills. Focusing on contributing to the research area of CT assessment in the first two years of primary school, we investigated the correlation of algorithmic thinking skills, as a fundamental CT competency, with students’ age in early childhood settings. This article reports a relevant research study, which we implemented under the umbrella of quantitative methodology, employing an innovative assessment tool we constructed for serving the needs of our study. The research was conducted within the context of the environmental study course, adding to the efforts of infusing CT into STEM fields. The study results shed light on the correlation between algorithmic thinking skills and age in early childhood, revealing that age is a predictor factor for algorithmic thinking and, therefore, for CT.

Assessing Algorithmic Thinking Skills in Relation to Gender in Early Childhood

Assessing Algorithmic Thinking Skills in Relation to Gender in Early Childhood

Improvement of Pre-Service Teachers’ Computational Thinking Skills through an Educational Technology Course

This study examines the improvement of pre-service teachers’ computational thinking skill levels through an educational technology course redesigned within the computational thinking context. 27 pre-service teachers from the Literacy Education Program enrolled in the Instructional Technologies and Material Development course in a public university in Turkey. Pre-service teachers engaged in some structured activities throughout the course and they were asked to complete a final project. Pre and post-survey results showed that pre-service teachers’ algorithmic thinking skills and computational thinking skills in general were improved after the course. Analysis of final projects also showed that pre-service teachers were able to use their problem solving, algorithmic thinking, and collaborative skills. However, they had difficulty in using their critical thinking skills and creativity. Findings have implications for the design of an educational technology course that pre-service teachers comprehend and practice computational thinking concepts.

Algorithmic Thinking Skills without Computers for Prospective Computer Science Teachers

Algorithmic thinking skills may be considered as an important attribute of any person lives in this century, especially for teachers, more particularly for computer science teachers. This study examines an elective course offered under the title of Algorithmic Thinking for prospective computer science teachers. A mixed method approach was followed for the current study. The study was carried out with the participation of sixth semester students of a Computer Education and Instructional Technology Department of an Education Faculty who may be considered as prospective computer science teachers. Twenty-eight students were enrolled the selective AT course opened for the period. Within the scope of the study, development of the course curriculum, instructional process of the course and evaluation of the course in line with students’ views and exam scores, are presented. Findings of the research suggest that the students find the Algorithmic Thinking course helping them to acquire some algorithmic thinking skills as well as some other academic and life related thinking abilities. Also, the course may be considered as a necessary course particularly for the training process of computer science teachers. In addition, the students think that the offered course was an effective and beneficial course.

Kansei — learning: emotional writing work on programming lectures

A method of teaching programming is proposed for consideration, which, like Kansei-engineering [1], is based on managing the emotional background in the classroom during classes to enhance the individual significance of the quality of the assignment. The need for the method is due to the fact that during the oral presentation of the material by the lecturer, students today do not use note-taking, and there is also no feedback. The ways of increasing the effectiveness of teaching programming by means of developing the ability to “think with your hands”, as an activation of creativity, through the use of additional emotional stress. In this direction, an initiative is proposed to supplement the written dictation at the lecture. It obliges the student not only to implement written decisions, but also to emotionally assess their quality by making special notes in the margins. Such an innovation will allow not only to develop and strengthen the skill of writing software code, but also at the same time to check its correctness individually, since the selfassessment of the quality of the result is formed emotionally. It is assumed that the introduction of regular lecture emotional writing practices will allow students to hone their algorithmic thinking skills more effectively, and the teacher to manage the tendency of individual learning. It can be expected that an emotional insight will occur in the student’s mind at a certain moment, associated with the assessment of his own work, which will determine the initial moment of the emerging understanding. An emotional reaction in conjunction with a written result will mean the initialization of an individual educational process.

A Valid and Reliable Scale for Developing Programming-Oriented Computational Thinking

In this research, a scale was developed to determine the programming-oriented computational thinking skills of university students. The participants were 360 students studying in various departments at different universities in Turkey for computer programming. The scale consists of 33 items under conceptual knowledge, algorithmic thinking, and evaluation subscale. While there was no significant difference between the students’ conceptual knowledge and algorithmic thinking skills, the evaluation skills of male students differed significantly compared to females. Programming experience has a significant effect on conceptual knowledge, algorithmic thinking, and evaluation. The algorithmic thinking skills of the students who have low, middle, and high-level programming experience differed significantly. In terms of the development of conceptual knowledge and evaluation skills, it was observed that students should have at least one year of programming experience, but this experience will not make a significant difference if it is four years or more. It is thought that this scale, which is structured for different applications (e.g., web, game, robot) and learning environments (e.g., text, block) within the framework of its programming capabilities (conceptual, semantic, strategic knowledge), will contribute significantly to the evaluation of computational thinking as programming oriented.