Children's preschool years are crucial for the development of computational thinking (CT) skills. However, debate continues regarding whether CT should be developed through plugged-in or unplugged activities. This study investigated the similarities and differences between plugged-in and unplugged activities with similar learning content and…

Technology has become an integral part of teaching and learning, but there is still limited understanding of how it is utilized to support computing education in early childhood. To address this knowledge gap, this review investigated the current implementation of computing technologies in early childhood settings, the implementation of computing…

Over the last decade, there has been an explosion of national interest in computer science (CS) education. In response to this, several organizations and initiatives have emerged in recent years to expand the CS pipeline. However, within these broad and laudable efforts, one important area has been largely overlooked--the instruction of CS to…

Despite increased interest in integrating programming education into K-12 programs, there is a lack of studies on teaching debugging to younger age groups. Therefore, this study proposes practical design components for designing unplugged debugging tasks that affect young learners' debugging performance, problem-solving, and self-efficacy,…

As technology-enhanced children's learning has gained wide attention, programmable robots have been gradually introduced in early childhood education. Hence, it would be valuable to understand how young children perceive robot programming learning. Draw-a-picture technique is an ideal method to elicit ideas, thoughts, and feelings for children…

In recent years there has been an increased push for K-12 computer science education. A major reason for this push is the growing evidence that introducing young children to coding can enhance their interest and promote their learning of foundational skills needed to thrive in today's technologically rich world. However, little research has…

Computational thinking (CT) has great potential for enhancing mathematics and science lessons in K-12 education. Numerous studies demonstrate that under the right circumstances, CT integration in math and science can improve student learning and promote deeper understanding. However, teacher education currently does not include preparation for…

The interest in computational thinking development at pre-university education stage is increasing. In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted to address two main objectives: (a) to analyze the effectiveness of empirical interventions in K-12 education for the development of Computational Thinking (CT); and (b) to identify and evaluate the…

This study examined the effects of embodied learning experiences on students' understanding of computational thinking (CT) concepts and their ability to solve CT problems. In a mixed-reality learning environment, students mapped CT concepts, such as sequencing and loops, onto their bodily movements. These movements were later applied to robot…

This study aimed to introduce unplugged algorithm activities developed for preschool children and to examine their implementation process. The activities used in the study were designed to support preschool children to develop and apply different solutions to problem situations that require algorithmic thinking and to learn basic algorithm…

Robotics is needed as education keeps up with challenges students are facing in a technological environment. A long-term research project focuses on developing a feasible robotics-based learning environment that enables primary school teachers to introduce computer science education. This paper shows educational robotics combining storytelling to…

The significance of teachers' self-efficacy in coding education within K-12 settings has grown substantially. However, the literature lacks subject-specific measurement tools tailored to assess teachers' self-efficacy in coding instruction. This study adopted a mixed methods approach to develop a reliable and valid instrument for measuring…

Emotions play a crucial role in knowledge acquisition and can significantly impact motivation when studying a new field. Unfortunately, young people, especially girls, are often not drawn to Computer Science. To address this issue, we conducted an analysis of emotions among 8-9-year-old and 12-13-year-old students engaged in Computational Thinking…

Jung and Won's (2018) review of elementary school ER found a lack of understanding of instructional practices for ER with young children. Other researchers have called for further studies into what effective classroom orchestration and interaction look like within ER classrooms (Ioannou & Makridou, 2018; Xia & Zhong, 2019). This study was…

Background and Context: Various coding initiatives and materials exist such as those on Code.org site to promote students' computational thinking (CT). However, little is known as to: (a) whether such materials, in fact, promote CT and (b) how CT skills are related to each other. Objective: As a preliminary step to identify CT skills addressed in…