Abstract:

Computational thinking (CT) is essential to prepare students for the digital age. However, there is still controversy over how curricula can integrate CT. Every country's education system addresses CT differently. While most countries try to develop computer science concepts within computing-related subjects, some also aim to develop CT in other subjects, such as technology and mathematics. CT has the potential to enrich curriculum subjects; hence, it is essential to examine how they integrate CT. Mathematics is one of these subjects since CT is closely related to mathematical thinking. This study examines how mathematics curricula in five European countries - Finland, France, Norway, Portugal, and Sweden - incorporate computational thinking (CT) to prepare students for the digital age. The criterion for selecting these five countries is that they are the countries in Europe that have integrated CT into their mathematics curricula. The documents were analyzed using a three-fold framework: CT components, CT concepts, and tools to develop CT. The following content analysis was conducted on the curriculum documents in three contexts. Firstly, we determined whether the CT components, such as decomposition, algorithmic thinking, pattern recognition, and abstraction, were referred to at all three levels of education. Secondly, it was identified whether the CT concepts, including sequences, loops, parallelism, data, events, conditional, algorithms, and programming, were mentioned at all three educational levels. Finally, we identified the tools for developing CT included in the curriculum documents' content under four categories: unplugged, educational robotics, block-based programming, and text-based programming. The study found that algorithmic thinking was the most frequently mentioned component of CT across all levels of education. Abstraction was not used in any document. Additionally, algorithms, programming, and data were the most frequently mentioned concepts associated with CT across all levels of education. The analysis of tools used to develop CT revealed that the block-based programming approach was the most commonly adopted method. Four countries use block-based programming at the lower secondary level, and one country at the primary level. Only the French mathematics curriculum mentioned text-based programming at the upper-secondary level. In contrast, the other four countries did not mention any tool for developing CT at the upper-secondary level. Quantitative data on these findings will be presented in tables, along with illustrative quotations and examples. The study will also report on which mathematical concepts or topics the CT approach addresses. Furthermore, the practical implications of the findings for curriculum developers will be discussed. The implications for research will also be reported since CT has been a significant research area in mathematics education in recent years.

Keywords:

Computational thinking, mathematics curricula, curriculum analysis.