Computational Thinking (CT) has evolved as an essential competency for K-12 students, and programming practices are recognized as the key way to facilitate CT development. However, most studies of CT development in middle graders have focused on visual programming, lacking evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of Python programming. Therefore,…

This study investigated common student errors and underlying difficulties of two groups of Chinese middle school students in an introductory Python programming course using data in the automated assessment tool (AAT) Mulberry. One group of students was from a typical middle school while the other group was from a high-ability middle school. By…

Computational thinking (CT) competency is essential for K-12 students in the digital societies. Understanding the relationship between students' CT and relevant factors contributes to implementing and improving CT education. Most previous studies investigated the effect of demographic or attitudinal factors on CT performance; whereas few research…

This study examined whether socially shared regulation of learning (SSRL) enhances students' algorithmic thinking performance, promotes learning participation and improves students' learning attitudes through game-based collaborative learning. The students learned algorithmic knowledge and completed programing tasks using Kodu, a new visual…

The demand for computing professionals in the workplace has led to increased attention to computer science education, and introductory computer science courses have been introduced at different levels of education. This study investigated the relationship between gender, academic performance in non-programming subjects, and programming learning…

Assigning difficulty level indicators to the knowledge units helps the learners plan their learning activities more efficiently. This paper focuses on how to use the topology of a knowledge map to compute and rank the difficulty levels of knowledge units. Firstly, the authors present the hierarchical structure and properties of the knowledge map.…