ERIC Number: EJ1329311
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1648-5831
EISSN: N/A
Abstraction in Computer Science Education: An Overview
Mirolo, Claudio; Izu, Cruz; Lonati, Violetta; Scapin, Emanuele
Informatics in Education, v20 n4 p615-639 2021
When we "think like a computer scientist," we are able to systematically solve problems in different fields, create software applications that support various needs, and design artefacts that model complex systems. Abstraction is a soft skill embedded in all those endeavours, being a main cornerstone of computational thinking. Our overview of abstraction is intended to be not so much systematic as thought provoking, inviting the reader to (re)think abstraction from different -- and perhaps unusual -- perspectives. After presenting a range of its characterisations, we will explore abstraction from a cognitive point of view. Then we will discuss the role of abstraction in a range of computer science areas, including whether and how abstraction is taught. Although it is impossible to capture the essence of abstraction in one sentence, one section or a single paper, we hope our insights into abstraction may help computer science educators to better understand, model and even dare to teach abstraction skills.
Descriptors: Computer Science Education, Soft Skills, Thinking Skills, Abstract Reasoning, Computation, Concept Formation, Programming Languages, Generalization, Problem Solving
Vilnius University Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. Akademjos str. 4, Vilnius LT 08663 Lithuania. Tel: +37-5-21-09300; Fax: +37-5-27-29209; e-mail: info@mii.vu.lt; Web site: https://infedu.vu.lt/journal/INFEDU
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A