Pathways to inclusive early childhood computational thinking education: unveiling young students’ strategies with multiple representations
Kristina Tank, Tamara Moore, Anne Todd Ottenbreit-Leftwich, Zarina Wafula, Lin Chu, Sohheon Yang · Journal of Research on Technology in Education · 2024
This study investigates the integration of computational thinking (CT) into early elementary literacy, focusing on kindergarten to second grade students, using multiple representations to understand their ideas of CT. Through clinical task-based interviews with 12 students, we found that concrete manipulatives, pictorial/graphical representations, and language-based strategies were key to facilitating CT comprehension. The findings indicate no significant gender differences in CT engagement, and instead we need to emphasize the need for inclusive, multi-representational teaching methods in early education. By using multiple representations, we may be able to nurture early STEM interest and confidence in computer science and related fields.