Cross-lagged Associations between Cognitive Performance and Attitudinal Beliefs of Computational Thinking: A Preliminary Study
Shuhan Zhang, Gary K. W. Wong · 2022
With the worldwide momentum of promoting computational thinking (CT) education, greater attention has been received on assessing learning effects in both cognitive and attitudinal aspects. However, the cross-lagged relations between the two were unknown. This study investigated the cross-lagged association between CT cognitive performance and attitudinal beliefs of primary students through a three-wave longitudinal design. The paper reported the first two waves of data collection, with an 8-month time interval, involving a sample of 392 students (age 9-11). At each wave, students were asked to complete a CT cognitive test and a self-reported attitude survey. Through cross-lagged analyses, the results showed that prior CT cognitive performance significantly predicted later learning attitudes, and the paths remained significant after controlling for students’ demographics and learning experiences. The study contributes to the literature by pioneering documenting the cross-lagged relations between students’ cognitive and attitudinal attainments in the context of CT education.