Abstract
Computational Thinking (CT) is believed to be a vital competency for today’s learners, and programs for acquiring and promoting CT have been integrated into curricula of many formal and non-formal learning environments worldwide. In this large-scale study (N=25,812), we explore the acquirement of CT concepts— Sequences, Loops, Data, Parallelism, Conditionals, Operators, and Events—by school children (grades 1-8) who used an online game-based learning environment (CodeMonkey). We do so by analyzing both achievement and persistence in the game. Examining the associations between these two variables, we demonstrate that acquiring CT concepts may not be treated as a unidimensional process. We use these associations to point out to CT concepts that are easier (Data) or more difficult (Events, Conditionals, and Loops) than others to acquire and to show how this learning environment can help in decreasing gaps between learners. We discuss the implications of these findings to various educational stakeholders.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Proceedings of E-Learn |
Subtitle of host publication | World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2019 |
Editors | Saul Carliner |
Place of Publication | San Diego |
Publisher | Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) |
Pages | 1002-1012 |
Number of pages | 11 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781939797452 |
State | Published - 2019 |
Event | E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education - New Orleans, Louisiana, United States Duration: 4 Nov 2019 → 7 Nov 2019 |
Conference
Conference | E-Learn: World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education |
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Country/Territory | United States |
City | New Orleans, Louisiana |
Period | 4/11/19 → 7/11/19 |
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics of 'Persistence and Achievement in Acquiring Computational Thinking Concepts: A Large-Scale Log-Based Analysis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Prizes
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Best Paper Award
Hershkovitz, A. (Recipient) & Israel Fishelson, R. (Recipient), Nov 2019
Prize: Honorary award