Elementary Students’ Computational Thinking Practice in A Bridge Design and Building Challenge (Fundamental)
Dazhi Yang, Youngkyun Baek, Bhaskar Chandra Srinivas Chittoori, William Stewart · 2020
Abstract Jeanette Wing describes computational thinking (CT) as a skill set everyone would want to learn and use. Grover and Pea echo Wing’s perspective and describe CT as a competency that encompasses various thinking skills for problem solving including abstraction, decomposition, evaluation, and logic and algorithm design. Subsequently, CT practice refers to the approaches which students use to solve problems as well as an exhibition of a competency along with other critical thinking needed for problem-solving. In an effort to describes the problem-solving behaviors and approaches students exhibit and use, we include CT language and terminology, such as variables, data and modeling, in CT practices, which is in line with the “thinking like a notion”. Our CT practice consists of using CT terminology and approaches for problem solving. The National Research Council (NRC) highlights the use of mathematics and CT as part of the core practices for the scientific and engineering practices in its framework for K-12 science education. However, little research has been conducted on how students practice CT in their engineering practice. This study examined upper level elementary students’ CT practice while they were engaged in an engineering design challenge. The research question was: How do students practice CT while they are engaged in a bridge design and building challenge? The Bridge Design and Building Challenge was an eight-week scientific inquiry and engineering design program. Scientific knowledge and engineering concepts (e.g., earthquakes, bridges) were introduced in the first four weeks. The engineering design challenge (e.g., developing possible solutions and building prototypes) began in the fifth week when students designed and built an earthquake-resistant bridge and prepared for the final competition. Each of the K’Nex pieces had an associated price tag, which the students used to keep track of the cost while building their bridges for the final competition. In the eighth week, students competed for the best bridge design. To win the competition, the team had to design a bridge that met the design specifications, passed the pre-determined earthquake testing criteria, and cost the least. The Bridge Challenge was to engage students in practicing CT through scientific inquiry and engineering design. Thirty-six students in grades 4th to 6th participated in the Bridge challenge in small groups of three to four facilitated by one teacher in an afterschool program with two ninety-minute sessions per week for eight weeks. Students working in small groups were video recorded and recordings were analyzed. Students’ artifacts such as drawings and sketches of their design were also collected. Results showed students practiced various CT during their scientific inquiry and engineering challenge, such as data collection, data analysis, abstraction, communication, simulation and modeling, and decomposition. The study contributes to the teaching and integration of CT into K-12 science and engineering education.