Abstract:

This study focuses on students' self-assessment during their learning process related to programming concepts, taking into account both its advantages and challenges, with the aim to contribute to the development of guiding principles and practices and enhance the teaching process of computer programming and computational thinking, in primary education. This is a research area that, to the best of our knowledge, has not fully investigated, especially in Greek schools, and its originality lies in the application of an integrated approach, which combines the analysis, correlation and triangulation of data from both bibliographic and pilot studies sources.

The central focus of the research inquiries in this study, aims to pinpoint components that will yield significant insights regarding:
(a) students’ experience during their engagement into computer programming courses,
(b) the impact of the self – assessment framework on the advancement of programming skills and computational thinking, in primary school education level and
(c) the development of students’ skills and abilities, which are useful, not only within the programming context, but also for other various aspects of their personal and professional lives.

The effectiveness of the self-assessment framework largely depends on its implementation and the overall pedagogical approach followed. By setting learning goals and analyzing their own performance, students build self-confidence and gain a better understanding of their progress. Self-confidence is a driving force for future progress by building characters who can take responsibility for their own learning and development in an increasingly technology-driven world. This process enhances students' personal development, allowing them to approach learning as a continuous challenge for improvement.

The above effects demonstrate the importance of self-assessment in developing skills and enhancing the learning process. Overall, self-assessment is not just a process of assessing students’ progress, but a critical tool for enhancing the learning process as it allows students to take an active role in shaping their own learning and develop important skills beyond the technical aspects of programming in an era of advancing technology. Finally, the research findings generate recommendations for educational authorities, including the Ministry of Education and the Institute of Educational Policy, which can form the basis for further exploration, investigation and discussion in the educational field with the aim of improving the Primary school curricula.

Keywords:

Self-assessment, computer programming, computational thinking, self-confidence, pilot studies, primary school curricula, advancing technology.