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The Effect of Code. Org Activities on Computational Thinking and Algorithm Development Skills

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Ali Oluk at Kastamonu Üniversitesi
Ali Oluk
Recep Cakir
Recep Cakir
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With the sub-skills covered, there are many studies aimed at providing students with computational thinking skills that are known to be an important skill for today's students. In this study, it is aimed to investigate the effect of code.org applications on the development of computer thinking and algorithm development skills of the students. In this study, experimental research design with pre-test and post-test control group was used. A total of 67 middle school of 6th grade students, 32 of who were in the control group and 35 in the experimental group, participated in the study. The study was planned to cover 6 weeks of information technology and software courses with students. The course was enriched with the applications in Code.Org site for the experimental group students. The control group was treated appropriately course curriculum to their students. In the study, the scale of computer thinking skill levels and algorithm development achievement test were applied to the students as pre-test and post-test. When the data obtained in the study is examined, it is seen that there is no significant difference between the pre-test results of algorithm development achievement test and computer thinking skill levels scale. However, when the differences between pre-test and post-test scores of both tests were examined, it was seen that there was a significant difference in favor of the experimental group. As a result, it can be said that code.org applications used by experimental group students have positive effect on developing algorithms and computer thinking skills of students.
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Journal of Teacher Education and Lifelong Learning Volume: 3 Issue: 2 2021
The Effect of Code.Org Activities on Computational Thinking and
Algorithm Development Skills
Ali Oluk 1 Recep ÇAKIR 2
1
Amasya University, Faculty of Education, CEIT, Amasya, Turkey
alioluk85@gmail.com
2
Amasya University, Faculty of Education, CEIT, Amasya, Turkey
recepcakir@gmail.com
Article Info
ABSTRACT
Article History
Received: 30/06/2021
Accepted: 26/11/2021
Published: 31/12/2021
With the sub-skills covered, there are many studies aimed at providing students with computational thinking
skills that are known to be an important skill for today's students. In this study, it is aimed to investigate the
effect of code.org applications on the development of computational thinking and algorithm development
skills of the students. In this study, quasi experimental research design with pre-test and post-test control
group was used. A total of 67 middle school of 6th grade students, 32 of who were in the control group and 35
in the experimental group, participated in the study. The study was planned to cover 6 weeks of information
technology and software courses with students. The course was enriched with the applications in Code.Org
site for the experimental group students. The control group was treated appropriately course curriculum to
their students. In the study, the scale of computational thinking skill levels and algorithm development
achievement test were applied to the students as pre-test and post-test. When the data obtained in the study is
examined, it is seen that there is no significant difference between the pre-test results of algorithm
development achievement test and computational thinking skill levels scale. However, when the differences
between pre-test and post-test scores of both tests were examined, it was seen that there was a significant
difference in favor of the experimental group. As a result, it can be said that code.org applications used by
experimental group students have positive effect on developing algorithms and computational thinking skills
of students.
Keywords:
Computational
Thinking,
Code.Org,
Algorithm
Development.
Citation: Oluk, A. & Çakır, R. (2021). The effect of code.org activities on computational thinking and algorithm
development skills. Journal of Teacher Education and Lifelong Learning, 3(2), 32-40.
“This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0)”
Cilt: 3 Sayı:2 Yıl: 2021
Research Article
ISSN: 2687-5713
Journal of Teacher Education and Lifelong Learning Volume: 3 Issue: 2 2021
INTRODUCTION
The world around us is changing rapidly, and countries are updating their education systems to
keep up with that change. Today, students are expected to develop skills that were not even heard of in
the past. Computational thinking is one of those skills, which has been introduced to curricula over the
past years. Researchers predict that computational thinking will be one of the fundamental skills (e.g.,
reading, writing, and basic math) by mid 21st century (Wing, 2006; Wing, 2014).
Therefore, every student needs to acquire computational thinking skills (Barr & Stephenson,
2011; Grover & Pea, 2013). However, getting students to develop computational thinking skills
presents challenges to education systems (Wing, 2008). To overcome those challenges, many countries
update their education systems and broaden their curricula to include activities tailored to computational
thinking skills (Angeli & Valanides, 2019; Grover & Pea, 2013; León & Robles, 2015). Some examples
are the computer science curriculum in the USA (Collage Board, 2013; Collage Board, 2016); four-tier
curriculum for 5-16-year-olds in the UK (Department for Education, 2013; Royal Society, 2012); and
the information technology and software (ITS) course (MEB, 2017a) and the computer science course
(MEB, 2017b) in Turkey.
Computational thinking is a critical skill because it helps students recognize and solve problems
(Czerkawski & Lyman, 2015). However, computational thinking is a multidimensional concept that
involves algorithmic thinking, critical thinking, communication, cooperative learning, and creative
thinking (ISTE, 2015; Korkmaz et al., 2017; İbili et al., 2020; Yağcı, 2019). Students today are
expected to develop those subskills as well (Günüç, Odabaşı & Kuzu, 2013). Therefore, we should
provide students with programming education to help them acquire creative thinking, critical thinking,
and problem-solving skills (Akpınar & Altun, 2014; Karabak & Güneş, 2013; Monroy-Hern´andez &
Resnick, 2008; Shin et al., 2013;). In other words, programming education is a powerful tool by which
students can develop computational thinking skills (Lye & Koh, 2014; Oluk & Korkmaz, 2016; Oluk et
al., 2018; Sayın, 2020).
Programming education is challenging for beginners, and therefore, it is more suited to students
with a certain level of proficiency in algorithms and coding (Genç & Karakuş, 2011). However, some
visual software programs (e.g., Code.org, Microsoft Small Basic, Scratch, and Alice) allow less code-
savvy students to learn to program easily (Çatlak et al., 2015; Yılmaz, 2019). Code.org is designed to
help anyone learn basic programming in an easy and fun way (Demirer & Sak, 2016). Teachers can use
Code.org to teach beginners how to code (Yecan et al., 2017). It is already a popular tool commonly
used in block-based and computerless coding activities (Sayın, 2020).
Funded by big companies (Microsoft, Facebook, and Google), Code.org was launched in 2013 to
promote computer science education (Code.Org, 2019). Code.org is a website where anyone interested
in programming can learn how to code by completing activities and drag-and-drop tasks for all levels.
The website also allows teachers to monitor their students’ progress and provides a certificate to those
who complete all stages of training.
There is a large body of research investigating the relationship between computational thinking
skills and programming education (Atmatzidou & Demetriadis, 2016; Bers et al., 2014; Brennan &
Resnick, 2012; Lye & Koh, 2014; León & Robles, 2015; Oluk & Korkmaz, 2016; Oluk et al., 2018).
Oluk and Korkmaz (2016) gave fifth graders block-based programming education within the scope of
the ITS course. They concluded that students who developed programming skills were more likely to
acquire computational thinking skills. Oluk et al. (2018) determined that Scratch, a block-based visual
programming language, helped fifth graders develop computational thinking skills. Atmatzidou and
Demetriadis (2016) also found that robotic coding education helped students pick up computational
thinking skills. Therefore, research shows that educators often provide programming education to help
students learn computational thinking skills.
Journal of Teacher Education and Lifelong Learning Volume: 3 Issue: 2 2021
Computational thinking skills are a prerequisite not only for people interested in computer science
but for all those interested in other branches of science (Guzdial, 2008; Korkmaz el al., 2015; Yadav et
al., 2014). Research shows that programming education plays a crucial role in developing
computational thinking skills (Lye & Koh, 2014). People with high-level thinking and problem-solving
skills are more likely to pick up programming skills (Yükseltürk & Altıok, 2015). However, such
people need to know the logic of algorithms to be able to acquire those skills. Therefore, programming
teaching involves algorithms and flowcharts (Köse & Tüfekçi, 2015).
Code.org is a promising tool for programming education. This paper investigated whether
Code.org helped beginner students develop computational thinking and algorithm development skills.
Studies address different aspects of computational thinking. For example, they define the concept
(Bundy, 2007; Voogt et al., 2015; Wing, 2006; Wing, 2011), focus on the evolution of computational
thinking research (Kalelioğlu et al., 2016; Şahiner & Kert, 2016), incorporate it into curricula (Barr &
Stephenson, 2011; Lye & Koh, 2014), examine its relationship with computer science and other
sciences (Barcelos & Silveira, 2012; Czerkawski & Lyman, 2015; Liu & Wang, 2010; Mishra & Yadav,
2013; Orton et al., 2016; Weintrop et al., 2016), and programming (Atmatzidou & Demetriadis, 2016;
Brennan & Resnick, 2012; Bers et al., 2014; Oluk & Korkmaz, 2016). This is the first experimental
study to look into the effect of Code.org activities on computational thinking and algorithm
development skills in secondary school students. The research questions are as follows:
1.
Do Code.org activities help secondary school students develop computational thinking skills?
2.
Do Code.org activities help secondary school students develop algorithm development skills?
METHOD
This quantitative study adopted a quasi experimental pretest-posttest control group design, which
is employed to determine the effect of an intervention on dependent variables. The intervention in this
study was a set of Code.org activities within the scope of the ITS course. The activities had three
learning outcomes: (1) learning the logic of algorithm development, (2) choosing the right algorithm,
and (3) editing faulty algorithms. The experimental group took part in the Code.org activities, while the
control group received education according to the current curriculum.
Study
Group
The sample consisted of 67 sixth graders divided into two groups: experimental (n=35; 18 girls
and 17 boys) and control (n=32; 16 girls and 16 boys). Table 1 shows the gender distribution of the
groups.
Table 1.
Gender distribution by groups
Group
Gender
Girl
N
%
Boy
N
%
Total
N
Control
16
50
16
50
32
Experimental
18
51.4
17
48.6
35
Total
34
50.7
33
49.3
67
Procedure
The information technology and software course was a 2-hour course for sixth graders. The
experimental group participated in Code.org activities within the scope of the ITS course for six weeks.
The control group did class based on the current curriculum involving lecturing and practicing examples
on the board.
The Code.org activities focused on the basics of algorithms, such as conditions, variables, loops,
Journal of Teacher Education and Lifelong Learning Volume: 3 Issue: 2 2021
and nested loops. The experimental group participants were handed out pieces of paper for
computerless activities. They completed the computer-based activities in a computer lab.
The teacher provided the control group participants with examples of algorithms and flow
diagrams and delivered the lectures based on the current curriculum. The participants solved the
examples in front of the class so that all students could follow the process.
The experimental group participants performed the computerless and computer-based activities in
the “Introduction to Computer Science- Express Course” on code.org. Each activity has an example
situation, blocks, and a workspace to move the blocks to. When clicking the run button, the user can
drag and drop the blocks to make the program run. When clicking the “show code” button, the user can
see the assembled blocks in JavaScript. These activities aim to help users acquire fundamental
algorithm skills in a progressive fashion.
Research
Instruments
and Processes
The information technology and software course was a 2-hour course for sixth graders. The
experimental group participated in Code.org activities within the scope of the ITS course for six weeks.
The control group did class based on the current curriculum involving lecturing and practicing examples
on the board.
The Code.org activities focused on the basics of algorithms, such as conditions, variables, loops,
and nested loops. The experimental group participants were handed out pieces of paper for
computerless activities. They completed the computer-based activities in a computer lab.
The teacher provided the control group participants with examples of algorithms and flow
diagrams and delivered the lectures based on the current curriculum. The participants solved the
examples in front of the class so that all students could follow the process.
The experimental group participants performed the computerless and computer-based activities in
the “Introduction to Computer Science- Express Course” on code.org. Each activity has an example
situation, blocks, and a workspace to move the blocks to. When clicking the run button, the user can
drag and drop the blocks to make the program run. When clicking the “show code” button, the user can
see the assembled blocks in JavaScript. These activities aim to help users acquire fundamental
algorithm skills in a progressive fashion.
Computational Thinking Skill Levels Scale
The Computational Thinking Skill Levels Scale (CTSLS) was used as a pretest-posttest. The
instrument was developed by Korkmaz et al. (2015) to determine secondary school students’
computational thinking skill levels. The instrument consists of four subscales (problem-solving, critical
thinking, creativity, collaboration and algorithmic thinking) and 22 items scored on a five-point Likert-
type scale. The CTSLS has item test correlation coefficients of 0.655 to 0.862 and regression values of
0.507 to 0.872. These values indicate that the CTSLS is a valid and reliable instrument to assess
computational thinking skills.
Algorithm Development Achievement Test
The Algorithm Development Achievement Test (ADAT) was developed by Oluk, Korkmaz, and
Oluk (2018) to measure three algorithm-related skills: (1) comprehending the logic of algorithms, (2)
choosing the best algorithm, and (3) editing faulty algorithms. ADAT consists of 20 items. It has an
item discrimination index of 0.33 to 0.48, an item difficulty index of 0.66, and a KR-20 internal
consistency coefficient of 0.85 (Oluk et al., 2018).
Journal of Teacher Education and Lifelong Learning Volume: 3 Issue: 2 2021
Data
Analysis
The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). First, a
normality test was conducted. The results showed that the data were normally distributed. Second, an
independent groups t-test was used to determine the differences in CTSLS and ADAT scores between
the groups.
RESULTS
CTSLS and ADAT Pretest Scores
An independent t-test was used to determine whether there was a significant difference in CTSLS
pretest scores between the groups. Table 2 shows the results.
Table 2. CTSLS pretest scores
Group
N
X
S
Sd
t
P
Experimental
35
85.66
16.95
65
1.15
.254
Control
32
89.94
13.03
There was no statistically significant difference in CTSLS pretest scores between the
experimental (
X
=85.66) and control (
X
=89.94) groups [t(65)=1.15, p>.05] (Table 2).
An independent sample t-test was performed to determine whether there was a significant
difference in ADAT pretest scores between the groups. Table 3 shows the results.
Table 3. ADAT pretest scores
Group
N
X
S
Sd
t
P
Experimental
35
26.71
13.00
65
1.46
.149
Control
32
22.19
12.31
There was no statistically significant difference in ADAT pretest scores between the experimental
(
X
=26.71) and control (
X
=22.19) groups [t(65)=1.46, p>.05] (Table 3).
Algorithm
Development
Skills
There was no statistically significant difference in ADAT pretest scores between the groups.
Therefore, improvement scores (posttest score minus pretest score) were calculated, and then, between-
group differences were determined using an independent t-test. Table 4 shows the results.
Table 4. Analysis of ADAT improvement scores
Group
N
X
S
Sd
t
P
Experimental
35
38.91
8.67
65
5.21
.000
Control
32
51.14
10.53
The experimental group had a significantly higher ADAT improvement score (
X
=51.14) than
the control group (
X
=38.91) [t(65)=5.21, p<.01] (Table 4). This result showed that the Code.org
activities were better at helping students develop algorithm development skills than the current
curriculum.
Journal of Teacher Education and Lifelong Learning Volume: 3 Issue: 2 2021
Computational
Thinking Skills
An independent t-test was used to determine whether there was a statistically significant
difference in CTSLS improvement scores between the groups. Table 5 shows the results.
Table 5.
Analysis of CTSLS improvement scores
subscale
Group
N
X
S
Sd
t
P
Creativity
Experimental
35
35
1.80
3.79
65
0.51
Control
32
32
1.38
2.88
Algorithmic thinking
Experimental
35
2.46
3.68
65
2.22
.000
Control
32
0.72
2.58
Collaboration
Experimental
35
3.03
3.90
65
2.01
.04
Control
32
1.31
3.06
Problem-solving
Experimental
35
1.94
3.78
65
0.76
.45
Control
32
1.28
3.35
Critical thinking
Experimental
35
3.45
5.90
65
2.92
.005
Control
32
-1.94
9.04
Total
Experimental
35
12.69
12.68
65
3.42
.001
Control
32
2.75
10.97
The experimental group had a significantly higher CTSLS improvement score (
X
=12.69) than
the control group (
X
=2.75) [t(65)=3.42 p<.05]. There was no statistically significant difference in
CTSLS “creativity” improvement scores between the experimental (
X
=1.80) and control groups (
X
=1.38) [t(65)=0.51 p>.05]. The experimental group had a significantly higher CTSLS “algorithmic
thinking” improvement score (
X
=2.46) than the control group (
X
=0.72) [t(65)=0.03 p<.05]. The
experimental group had a significantly higher CTSLS “collaboration” improvement score (
X
=3.03)
than the control group (
X
=1.31) [t(65)=0.04 p<.05]. There was no statistically significant difference in
CTSLS “problem-solving” improvement scores between the experimental (
X
=1.94) and control
groups (
X
=1.28) [t(65)=0.45 p>.05]. The experimental group had a significantly higher CTSLS
“critical thinking” improvement score (
X
=3.45) than the control group (
X
=-1.94) [t(65)=0.005
p>.05] (Table 5).
CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION
There was no statistically significant difference in ADAT pretest scores between the experimental
and control groups. However, the experimental group had a significantly higher ADAT improvement
score (posttest score minus pretest score) than the control group. This result showed that the Code.org
activities were better at helping students develop algorithm development skills than the current
curriculum. Visual programming tools are easy tools for teaching concepts, such as logical structures,
loops, and variables (Yükseltürk & Altıok, 2016). Code.org is a useful tool for beginners (Yecan et al.,
2017). It helps users learn the logic of algorithms and algorithm-related concepts (e.g., condition, loop,
and variable) (Code.org, 2019). Code.org is popular among teachers interested in teaching their students
the logic of algorithms (Dönmez Usta & Turan Güntepe, 2019). Code.org also helps students learn how
Journal of Teacher Education and Lifelong Learning Volume: 3 Issue: 2 2021
to figure out coding problems (Arfe et al., 2020). Therefore, we can state that Code.org provides
students with the opportunity to develop algorithm development skills.
There was no significant difference in CTSLS pretest scores between the experimental and
control groups. However, the experimental group had significantly higher CTSLS posttest scores than
the control group. This result showed that the Code.org activities helped students develop
computational thinking skills. Research, in general, shows that students who learn to program are more
likely to develop computational thinking skills (Lye & Koh, 2014; Oluk et al., 2018; Rijke et al., 2018).
For example, Brennan and Resnick (2012) used a drag-and-drop programming tool to help students
acquire computational thinking skills. The researchers concluded that the students who participated in
the programming activities had higher computational thinking skills than those who did not. Oluk et al.
(2018) also found that block-based programming tools helped students develop computational thinking
skills. Oluk and Korkmaz (2016) provided students with a training program in which they used a visual
programming tool to develop a project. The researchers determined that the training program improved
the participants’ computational thinking skills. As part of the “Coding Week” in Turkey, teachers from
different branches offer programming training to their students, who find a chance to take part in
activities tailored to computational thinking skills (Sayın, 2020). All these results indicate that
programming education and block-based programming tools help students develop computational
thinking skills.
Code.org is a drag-and-drop programming tool used to teach students of all ages the fundamentals
of programming and computation. Our results show that code.org activities help students develop
computational thinking and algorithm development skills. Therefore, we think that activities on
algorithm development skills within the scope of the ITS course should be integrated with block-based
drag-and-drop programming tools (e.g., Code.org) to provide students with the opportunity to acquire
computational thinking skills as well. We also think that young students should be encouraged to use
block-based programming tools to develop algorithm development skills so that they can put those
skills into practice in text-based programming languages. All courses should incorporate appropriate
programming tools to allow students to improve their computational thinking skills.
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... In the world evolving into the information age, new technologies that are inevitably bound to be widely used, lead to updates in the education-teaching process by providing new opportunities (Ersoy, 1997;Oluk & Çakır, 2021). While these new tools enable to restructure of the processes of learning and teaching mathematics, they also guide the expectations from mathematics and the way they use mathematics (MONE, 2018). ...
Examination of Projects Prepared by Prospective Secondary School Mathematics Teachers Using Scratch
Article
  • May 2023
The aim of this study is to examine the projects prepared by prospective secondary school mathematics teachers using Scratch for the learning outcomes in the Mathematics Course Curriculum (Secondary School 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grades) in terms of the proficiency level of programming concepts and computational thinking concepts. 73 prospective secondary school mathematics teachers participated in this research in which the case study design was used. Within the scope of the research, prospective teachers prepared Scratch projects related to the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade level learning outcomes of the Mathematics Course Curriculum. A total of 292 Scratch projects were examined within the scope of the research. Scratch projects were evaluated through the "Scratch Projects Assessment Rubric" and the "Dr. Scratch Assessment Tool". The result of the research showed that most of the criteria in the "Scratch Projects Assessment Rubric" were provided in more projects than at the beginning as new projects were developed by the prospective teachers at different grade levels every week. Whereas, in the evaluation made with Dr. Scratch, it was seen that as the prospective teachers used the Scratch program, the proficiency level of the projects prepared was increased. With the increase in the experience of prospective teachers using the Scratch program, it is understood that this positive change has emerged.
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The Effect of Computer Science Unplugged on Abstraction as a Sub-Component of Computational Thinking
Article
  • May 2024
  • Think Skills Creativ
Since computational thinking is a high-level cognitive skill and its conceptual framework has not yet been clarified, the assessment of this skill is problematic. While there is no consensus in the literature about the components of computational thinking, the abstraction component is located at a point where opinions intersect. In addition, it is predicted that computer science unplugged activities will improve computational thinking, and there is limited research examining this effect. As a result, this research aims to demonstrate the alleged effects of computer science unplugged activities on abstraction skill which is considered the critical component of computational thinking. The study, which was planned with a mixed methods research design, lasted 8 weeks. Quantitative data were obtained from the abstraction skill test developed by the researchers, while qualitative data were obtained from observations and task- based interviews after each activity. Quantitative findings showed that computer science unplugged activities significantly improve abstraction skills and thus computational thinking. Qualitative findings not only revealed that developments in the six abstracting steps caused this significant difference but also identified abstracting steps where the effect of each activity was limited. Suggestions for organizing activities to improve these steps are given. Finally, suggestions are presented for the conceptual framework of computational thinking based on abstraction.
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BİLGİ-İŞLEMSEL DÜŞÜNME BECERİLERİNİN İNCELENMESİ: MESLEK LİSELERİ ÖRNEĞİ
Article
Full-text available
  • Mar 2020
Bu araştırmada lise öğrencilerinin Bilgi-işlemsel Düşünme (BİD) becerileri incelenmiştir ve BİD becerileri bazı değişkenler açısından karşılaştırılmıştır. Bu kapsamda cinsiyetin, öğrenim görülen okul ve sınıf seviyesinin, programlama deneyiminin ve bilgisayar sahipliğinin BİD becerileri üzerindeki etkisi araştırılmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemini Van ili merkez İpekyolu ilçesindeki 3 farklı meslek lisesinde öğrenim gören 9., 10., 11. ve 12. Sınıftaki toplam 591 öğrenci oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmada öğrencilerin BİD becerilerini ölçmek amacıyla Yağcı (2019) tarafından geliştirilen ölçek kullanılmıştır. Öğrenciler %51.1 lik bir oranla yüksek BİD becerisi düzeyine sahiptirler. Bunu %44.3’lük bir oranla orta ve %4.6’lık oranla ise düşük düzeydekiler takip etmektedirler. Araştırma sonuçları BİD becerilerinin cinsiyet, programlama dersi alma durumu, programlama deneyimi ve bilgisayar sahipliği açısından farklılaşmadığını göstermiştir. Ancak okul türü İşbirlikli öğrenme ve eleştirel düşünme becerisi üzerinde etkili olduğunu, sınıf seviyesinin ise İşbirlikli Öğrenme ve eleştirel düşünme becerisi alt faktörü hariç diğer faktörler açısından farklılaşmaktadır. Bu bulgular meslek liselerinde öğrenim gören öğrencilerin ortalama BİD düzeylerini ortaya koyması; okulların işbirliği ve eleştirel düşünme becerileri üzerindeki etkisini; BİD becerilerinin sınıf seviyesine bağlı olarak farklılaşabileceğini göstermesi açısından önem arz etmektedir. Ayrıca bu araştırma sonucunda ortaya çıkan bulgular doğrultusunda araştırmacılara, müfredat geliştiricilere, okullardaki yöneticilere ve öğretmenlere önerilerde bulunulmuştur.
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Bilişim Teknolojileri Rehber Öğretmenlerinin Programlama Araçlarına İlişkin Deneyimlerinin İncelenmesi
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2019
Öz: Bu çalışmanın amacı, bilişim teknolojileri öğretmenlerinin programlama araçlarına yönelik deneyimlerinin incelenmesidir. Çalışma 2018-2019 eğitim öğretim yılının güz döneminde Giresun ilinde ortaokulda görev yapan 10 Bilişim Teknolojileri Rehber Öğretmeni ile yürütülmüştür. Çalışmada nitel araştırma desenlerinden biri olan olgu bilim deseni kullanılmıştır. Olgu bilim deseni ile yürütülen çalışmada veri toplama aracı olarak yarı yapılandırılmış sorulardan oluşan mülakatlar kullanılmıştır. Mülakat soruları öğretmenlerin programlama sürecinde kullandıkları araçlar, öğrencilerin ve öğretmenlerin süreçte karşılaştığı zorluklar ve çözüm önerileri ve sürecin öğrenciler üzerindeki etkisine yöneliktir. Mülakat sorularından elde edilen bulgulara göre, öğretmenlerin büyük çoğunun süreçte kolay ve adım adım ilerleyen code.org uygulamasını kullandığı belirlenmiştir. Code.org uygulamasının yanı sıra scratch, kodu game lab, blocky, mblock, algo dijital ile programlamayı derslerine entegre ettiklerine yer verilmiştir. Bu araçların öğrenme sürecinde kullanımının öğrencilerin dikkatini çektiği, eğlenerek ve kalıcı öğrenmesine yardımcı olduğu, problem çözme ve yaratıcılıklarını geliştirdiği belirlenmiştir. Bunun yanı sıra öğrencilerin soyut düşünememesi, bireysel çalışma yürütememesi, algoritma mantığının anlaşılamaması, döngü konusu ve değişkenler mantığını anlamlandıramaması, kod bloklarını anlamlı bir şekilde bir araya getirememesi gibi olumsuz durumlara yönelik sorunlar yaşadığı da tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca öğretmenler programlama öğretiminde farkındalık oluşturmak adına çeşitli yarışmalar düzenleyerek, bu süreçte veli öğrenci iş-birliğine de yer verilmesi gerektiğini belirtmektedir. Çalışma sonunda; iyi bir programlama öğretiminin gerçekleştirilebilmesi için; öğrencilere algoritma mantığının daha erken yaşta verilmesi ve uygun öğrenme ortamlarının tasarlanması önerilmektedir.
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A valid and reliable tool for examining computational thinking skills
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2019
  • Educ Inform Tech
The aim of this study was to develop a scale which can be used to measure the computational thinking skills (CTS) of high school students. Validity and reliability testing of the scale was performed with the participation of 785 students. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed that the five-point Likert scale had a construct consisting of four factors Problem-solving, Cooperative Learning & Critical Thinking, Creative Thinking, and Algorithmic Thinking expressed by 42 items. The factor loadings of the scale varied from .475 to .853. The confirmatory factor analysis performed to reveal the factorial validity of the scale showed that the Chi-square value (χ2 = 2679.07; sd = 815, p = 0.00) was significant. The fitness index values were found to be RMSA = .0075; SRMR = .081; NNFI = .91; CFI = .92; GFI = .90; and AGFI = .88. The Cronbach’s Alpha internal consistency coefficient was .969 for the overall scale. In addition, the stability of the scale was examined to obtain information about its reliability and the test-re-test method was used. It was concluded as a result of the analysis that the scale was a valid and reliable measurement tool which can be used to measure the CTS of high school students.
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Computational Thinking in Primary School: An Examination of Abstraction and Decomposition in Different Age Groups
Article
Full-text available
  • Apr 2018
Despite a growing effort to implement computational thinking (CT) skills in primary schools, little research is reported about what CT skills to teach at what age. Therefore, the research questions that guide this study read: (1) How is age related to students' success in computational thinking tasks? (2) How are computational thinking tasks perceived by students? (3) How do students' experience learning with respect to computational thinking? 200 primary school students between the age of 6 and 12 participated in this study. These students got introduced to two CT subjects: abstraction and decomposition. We found that age seems to be related with these concepts, with an interaction effect for gender in the abstraction task. No differences found between young and older students in the constructs perceived difficulty, cognitive load, and flow indicate that young primary school students can engage in learning these CT skills.
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Scratch Yazılımı İle Programlama Öğretiminin Durumu: Bir Doküman İnceleme Çalışması
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2015
zet Bilgisayar programlamayı öğrenmek, kodlamanın ötesinde öğrencilerin problem çözme, işbirlikli öğrenme, yaratıcı düşünme ve kritik düşünme gibi becerileri kazanmalarında önemli rol oynamaktadır. Ancak geleneksel programlama dillerinin karmaşık söz dizimi ve kullanıcı dostu olmayan arayüzleri gibi nedenlerden dolayı öğrencilerin programlamayı öğrenmeleri neredeyse imkânsız hale gelmektedir. Bununla birlikte, son yıllarda öğrenilmesi kolay, kullanıcı dostu ve görsel özelliklere sahip programlama araçlarının kullanılması ile programlama öğretiminin ilköğretim kurumlarında yaygınlaştırılabileceği, fikri araştırmacıları ve eğitimcileri cesaretlendirmiştir. Yapılan ön çalışmada, bu programlardan en popüler olanlarından birinin Scratch programı olduğu görülmüştür. Scratch programı, özellikle yeni öğrenenler için geliştirilen ve görselliği ön plana çıkaran bir ortam sunarak, programlama öğretimini kolaylaştırmaktadır. Bu nedenle bu yeni yazılımın kullanımı, programlama öğretiminin daha etkin olmasına yardımcı olabilir. Bu durum dikkate alınarak, bu çalışmada, Scratch yazılımının programlama öğretiminde kullanımı ile ilgili yapılan mevcut çalışmaları araştırmak üzere bir alanyazın taraması yapılmıştır. Doküman inceleme yöntemi kullanılarak gerçekleştirilen bu çalışmada, farklı veri tabanlarının yanı sıra, web günlükleri ve basın yayın siteleri üzerinden alanyazın taraması yapılmış ve bu kapsamda 53 adet dokümana ulaşılmıştır. Bu dokümanlardan 21 tanesi çeşitli nedenlerden dolayı çalışmaya dahil edilememiş ve kalan 32 makale ile çalışma sürdürülmüştür. Yapılan ilk incelemede, Scratch ile yapılan çalışmalarda öne çıkan konular Problem Çözme, Yaratıcı Düşünme, Mantıksal Düşünme, Algoritma ve Programlama Öğretimi, Programlamaya İlişkin Öğrenci Görüşleri, Diğer Dillerle Karşılaştırma, Oyun Programlama, Simülasyon Geliştirme, Diğer Derslerde Kullanım ve Scratch Programının Tanıtılması şeklindedir. Araştırmanın bulgularına göre, Scratch yazılımının programlama öğretiminde etkili olduğu ve programlama öğrenimini zevkli ve daha anlaşılır hale getirdiği söylenebilir. Ayrıca programlama derslerine, özünde oyun teması barındıran Scratch yazılımı ile başlamanın derse olan ilgi ve motivasyon değişkenleri üzerinde olumlu etkilerine dair bulgulara ulaşılmıştır. Bu durumun gerekçeleri olarak, Scratch programlama ortamının kodlama bilgisi gerektirmeyen kullanıcı dostu arayüze sahip olması, kodlama yerine kod bloklarını sürükle-bırak yöntemi ile basit seviyede kullanım sunması, kullanıcıların kendilerine özgü materyaller geliştirebilmelerine olanak sağlaması ve programlama dillerini öğrenmek isteyen her seviye kullanıcıya kullanım imkânı sağlaması gösterilebilir. Elde edilen bulgular yorumlanarak; problem çözme, yaratıcı düşünme ve ürün oluşturma becerileri ile doğrudan ilişkili olan programlama öğretimi için özellikle ilköğretim okullarında ve Bilgisayar ve Öğretim Teknolojileri Eğitimi (BÖTE) bölümlerinde görselliği ön plana çıkaran yazılımların müfredata entegre edilmesine dair bir takım önerilerde bulunulmuştur.
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Komputasyonel Düşünme Kavramı ile İlgili 2006-2015 Yılları Arasındaki Çalışmaların İncelenmesi
Article
Full-text available
  • Dec 2016
Gelişen teknoloji doğrudan insanı etkilemekte ve yeni beceri alanları ile insanın gelişmesini öngörmektedir. Bu beceri alanlarından biriside bu çalışmaya konu olan komputasyonel düşünme kavramıdır. Komputasyonel düşünme kavramı, 21. yy. insanlarının sahip olması gereken bir özellik haline gelmektedir. Komputasyonel düşünme becerisi, yaşanan çevrenin anlaşılması ve problemlerin çözümünde insanlara kapsamlı bir beceri sunmaktadır. Bu kapsamda çalışmanın amacı, komputasyonel düşünme kavramının 2006-2015 yılları arasında nasıl bir değişimde olduğunu incelemektir. Araştırma sürecinde doküman analizinin adımları takip edilerek, belirlenen kriterler çerçevesinde 22 çalışma dâhil edilmiştir. Bu çalışmalar ScienceDirect, Taylor & Francis ve SpringerLink veri tabanlarından elde edilmiştir. Çalışma sonucunda elde edilen bulgular makalenin genel bilgileri ve içerik bilgileri kapsamında incelenmiştir. Sonuçlar son yıllarda komputasyonel düşünme kavramı ile ilgili araştırma alanlarının ve sayılarının arttığını göstermiştir. Abstract Developing technology directly affects the people and forces people to acquire new skills. One of the trending skillset is computational thinking which is the main topic of this research. The concept of computational thinking has been increasingly becoming a desirable characteristic for the people of 21th century. Computational thinking skill provides comprehensive skills to the people in the significant subjects such as understanding of living environment and solving problems. In this scope, the aim of the study is to examine how computational thinking research as evolved between 2006 and 2015. During the study, 22 papers are included that fit to the determined criteria by following document analysis steps. These studies are obtained from the databases of Science Direct, Taylor & Francis and Springer Link. Findings were examined along the general concept and content of the study as a result of this survey. Results showed that computational thinking related research areas and publication numbers has recently increased.
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Bilişim Teknolojileri Öğretmen Adaylarının Bilgisayar Programlama Öğretimine Yönelik Görüşleri
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2015
Bu çalışmada, bir proje kapsamında gerçekleştirilen “Bilişim Teknolojileri Öğretmen Adaylarına Yönelik Bilgisayar Programlama Öğretiminde Alternatif Yöntem ve Araçlar Semineri”ne katılan öğrencilerin seminer eğitmenleri ve eğitimin kazanımları hakkında görüşleri incelenmiştir. 27-31 Ekim 2014 tarihleri arasında gerçekleştirilen etkinlikte, BT öğretmen adaylarına özellikle ilköğretim öğrencileri için programlama eğitimine yönelik pedagojik bilgiler verilmiş ve öğrencilere programlama öğretmek için kullanılan güncel araçların uygulamalı olarak kullanımı gösterilmiştir. Etkinliğe farklı üniversitelerin Bilgisayar ve Öğretim Teknolojileri Eğitimi Bölümü toplam 25, 3. ve 4. sınıf öğretmen adayı katılmıştır. Etkinlik sonrasında, öğretmen adaylarının görüşleri anket yoluyla toplanmıştır. Adaylar özellikle etkinlik bünyesinde eğitim veren akademisyenler ve etkinlik sonrası kazanımlar hakkında olumlu görüşler belirtmiştir. Ayrıca, benzer etkinlik konuları hakkında önerilerde bulunmuştur.
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Bilişim Teknolojileri Öğretmenlerinin Görsel Programlama Öğretimi Deneyimleri
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2017
Hesaplamali dusunmenin (computational thinking) her ogrencinin kazanmasi gereken bir “21 yuzyil becerisi” oldugu dusuncesi bir cok ulkenin ilkogretim duzeyindeki ogretim programlarina gorsel kodlama derslerinin dahil olmasini saglamistir. Bu arastirma da, halihazirda bilisim teknolojileri dersinde gorsel programlama ogretimi yapan ogretmenlerin gozunden ilkogretimde gorsel programlama ogretiminin incelenmesini amaclamaktadir. Arastirma karma yontem arastirma yaklasimiyla yurutulmus; ogretmenlerle yuz yuze gorusmeler sonrasinda bir anket gelistirilerek uygulanmistir. Bulgular, ogretmenlerin, programlamaya giris amaciyla birbirlerinden farkli yontemler kullandiklarini, gercek hayattan ornekler, oyun tasarimi ve grup calismalariyla ders islediklerini, ogrencilerin genel akademik basari durumlari ve programlamaya ilgi duzeyleri arasindaki farkliliklarin onemli oldugunu ortaya cikarmistir. Ayrica programlamanin, ogrencilerin problem cozme, mantik yurutme ve algoritma olusturma gibi farkli alanlardaki becerilerinin, yaraticilik ve ureticiliklerinin gelismesine katki saglayabilecegi sonucuna varilmistir.
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The effects of coding on children's planning and inhibition skills
Article
  • Apr 2020
  • COMPUT EDUC
Computational thinking (CT) and the coding element of it are progressively entering in the pri-mary school curriculum worldwide. Yet, little is known about the effects of these skills on chil-dren’s cognitive development. In a cluster-randomized controlled trial, we examined how 1st- grade children’s gains in coding skills that follow instructional intervention transfer to two important executive functions (EFs): planning and response inhibition. One-hundred seventy-nine (179) first graders from 5 schools and 10 class groups, with no prior experience of coding, were randomly assigned to an experimental (coding, 5 classes) or control (standard STEM, 5 classes) instructional condition. The experimental intervention involved 8 h of coding activities (two weekly lessons for 4 weeks), through the Code.org platform. Children in the control group were exposed to standard STEM instruction. Four coding tasks drawn from Code.org, two standardized planning tasks (Elithorn maze test and Tower of London, ToL, test) and two standardized response inhibition tasks (NEPSY-II inhibition subtest and numerical Stroop), were used to assess children’s skills at the pretest and posttest (after the instructional intervention). To measure retention, the same skills were also assessed for 44 children from the experimental group 5 weeks from the posttest (follow up). The results show that practice with coding through Code.org not only improved measurably children’s ability to solve coding problems, but also their EFs, increasing the time children spent planning, their ability to solve standardized planning tasks, and to inhibit prepotent responses. Such findings add to the still limited literature on the cognitive effects of coding, deepening our understanding of the positive implications of introducing Computational Thinking early in the school curriculum. Provisional link to the paper, https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1aRhs1HucdLmH3
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Developing Young Children’s Computational Thinking with Educational Robotics: An Interaction Effect between Gender and Scaffolding Strategy
Article
  • Mar 2019
  • COMPUT HUM BEHAV
The study examined the effects of learning with the Bee-Bot on young boys' and girls' computational thinking within the context of two scaffolding techniques. The study reports statistically significant learning gains between the initial and final assessment of children's computational thinking skills. Also, according to the findings, while both boys and girls benefited from the scaffolding techniques, a statistically significant interaction effect was detected between gender and scaffolding strategy showing that boys benefited more from the individualistic, kinesthetic, spatially-oriented, and manipulative-based activity with the cards, while girls benefited more from the collaborative writing activity. In regards to the children's problem-solving strategies during debugging, the results showed that the majority of them used decomposition as a strategy to deal with the complexity of the task. These results are important, because they show that children at this very young age are able to cope with the complexity of a learning task by decomposing it into a number of subtasks that are easier for them to tackle. The research contributes to the body of knowledge about the teaching of computational thinking. In addition, the study has practical significance for curriculum developers, instructional leaders, and classroom teachers, as they can use the results of this study to design curricula and classroom activities with a focus on the broader set of computational thinking skills, and not only coding.
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