Hour of Code is a widely recognized global event that aims to introduce programming to novice users and integrate computer science into education. This paper presents an analysis of the effectiveness of the support system and user interface of Minecraft Adventurer, a serious game designed for the Hour of Code global event. Although previous…

Coding tools that use blocks to create programs are popular among kids and play a key role in learning how to code. The effectiveness of the coding courses that are available nowadays depends on how well the tools match the students' needs. The aim of this study is to reveal the impact of digital game design-supported coding education with Scratch…

Hands-on activities help spark student curiosity and deepen understanding for better learning outcomes. This Spotlight will help readers learn more about reducing student ambivalence towards math class; examine proven strategies for reengaging students; examine how coding and social-emotional learning (SEL) can improve engagement and deepen…

This research aimed to develop and evaluate a gamified learning game using the Kid-Bright board to teach introductory coding skills for controlling lamps and fans to 12th-grade students. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, involving the design and development of the game based on gamification principles, followed by an evaluation by three…

Coding games are widely used to teach computational thinking (CT). Studies have broadly investigated the role of coding games in supporting CT learning in formal classroom contexts, but there has been limited exploration of their use in informal home-based settings. This study investigated the factors that motivated students to use a coding game…

This study critically reviews sixteen empirical studies that investigate the various difficulties that primary school students encounter while learning programming through educational games. Specifically, the challenges that students face in understanding basic programming concepts and the game elements that contribute to these difficulties, as…

Computational thinking (CT) has started to attract attention as an important research topic in recent years. It is important to describe the CT field in detail and to determine the research interests and trends of studies in this field. In this most comprehensive and first topic modeling based study in the field of CT, it was aimed to determine…

Digital games have become more involved in our lives and entertainment culture with the development of technology. Digital games, which individuals of all ages play and derive great enjoyment from at the the same time, have been actively used in educational activities. However, it is seen that the games used in the education process are mostly…

As elementary students begin to program using tangible blocks, they must coordinate their use of counting with the movements, directions, and numbers they use to move a character. In our study, we analyzed 13 first graders' first attempts at coordinating these elements when playing a programming game on the iPad that used tangible programming…

This study aimed to identify and rank the serious game fidelity themes that should be considered for retaining both the learning potential and predicted market growth of serious games. The authors also investigated existing links between fidelity and AI. The methodology unraveled serious game fidelity through the co-development of a theory- and…

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the potential of use for computer science course designs (CSCD) created by game-based learning method. Qualitative case study was used as the research design. CSCDs created for Minecraft Education Edition (MinecraftEdu) were examined in the context of various criteria by document analysis method, and…

The purpose of this study is to introduce a developed activity which is named "CityMap" and to present an example of the implementation and evaluation process of a computer science unplugged activity through this activity. The aim of this activity is to write algorithms of going from one place to another using step by step instructions.…

It is difficult to motivate learners to seek out and persist at challenging learning tasks where failure is likely. However, in game environments, people seem highly motivated to engage with challenges and respond productively to failure. Many typical game features purportedly enhance intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy, which should improve…

In collaborative problem solving (CPS), people's actions are interactive, interdependent, and temporal. However, it is unclear how actions temporally relate to each other and what are the temporal similarities and differences between successful vs. unsuccessful CPS processes. As such, we apply a temporal analysis approach, Multilevel Vector…

An educational computer game is presented, used for beginner students to introduce some basic concepts of code execution and code writing. In this mini-language microworld game, a code should be written with which a robot can escape from a procedurally generated labyrinth. The game uses a simple language and utilizes a virtual environment, where…