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Explorations of two approaches to learning CT in a game environment for elementary school students
Citation
Lin, C.-P., Yang, S.-J., Lin, K.-Y., Looi, C.-K., & Chen, Y.-H. (2021). Explorations of two approaches to learning CT in a game environment for elementary school students. Journal of Computers in Education, 9, 261–290. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-021-00203-x
Abstract
Collaboration can be a significant determinant in the teaching and development of computational thinking (CT) skills in school students. This paper presented a case study on how students learned CT skills through a coding game via two approaches: one using collaborative learning (through cognitive apprenticeship) and the other through individual learning. The quasi-experimental design was used in two classes (24 students in each class) and was divided into using one of the two approaches. Relevant data were collected through pre- and post-tests based on the E-game CT test. The research results indicated: (1) Both collaborative learning (through cognitive apprenticeship) and individual learning effectively enhanced the learning effects of students' development for CT skills in an E-game coding education platform; (2) In collaborative learning (through cognitive apprenticeship), students in lower-scoring groups could enhance their CT skills more effectively than those in higher-scoring groups; (3) For those students who fell in the two lower-scoring groups, those in collaborative learning (through cognitive apprenticeship) had higher significant learning effects than those in individual learning; (4) Students with lower scores who programmed with a higher-scoring partner learned more than when they programmed alone. Overall, this study showed that the use of an E-game learning platform enabled the learning process of CT to become more interesting and challenging for students.
Date Issued
2021
Publisher
Springer Nature
Journal
Journal of Computers in Education
DOI
10.1007/s40692-021-00203-x