Abstract:

A frequently mentioned reason for learning and integration programming in K-12 education is the development of computational thinking. However, there have been some differences in previous research concerning how computational thinking skills are developed through programming activities. An increasingly popular tool for programming in K-12 education is block programming. The aim of this study was to analyse and discuss potential opportunities and challenges in developing computational thinking skills through the use of block programming tools in K-12 education.

The study has been conducted as a literature review where findings have been gathered and structured according to facets from a computational thinking framework presented by Valerie J. Shute, Chen Sun and Jodi Asbell-Clarke (2017) in ‘Demystifying computational thinking. Educational Research Review, 22, 142-158'. The gathered data was further analysed through content analysis and with the use of deductive coding. In the literature search the following keywords where mainly used and combined with the Boolean operators ‘or’ and ‘and’: computational thinking, block programming, K-12, education, opportunities, challenges. The literature search where further filtered with a publication time frame between 2015 and 2019, with the exceptions of backward-searches.

Findings show that there are both opportunities and challenges in using block programming tools to develop computational thinking skills. Where some are specific for the block programming approach, while other are more general. The conclusion of the study is that computational thinking skills should be targeted explicit in block programming activities for the desired development to occur. Author recommendation is that a variety of programming tools and approaches are used in computational thinking activities to encourage curiosity and progress.

Keywords:

Computational thinking, Block programming, Programming, K-12, Education.