Computer science education has seen a large national push to be included in the K-12 curriculum (Fluck, Webb, Cox, Angeli, Malyn-Smith, Voogt, & Zagami, 2016; Theresa Avancena & Nishihara, 2014; Veletsianos, Beth, Lin, & Russell, 2016; Yadav, Gretter, Hambrusch, & Sands, 2016). Students are leaving schools and entering an economy…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate student understanding and application of computational thinking patterns to novel situations. Over 500 students, who had just designed and programmed a Frogger-style game using the AgentSheets platform, responded to a newly developed video-prompt survey instrument administered in the Fall 2010 semester.…

Nowadays we need to teach students how to become flexible problem solvers in a dynamic world. The pace in which technology changes and complexity increases requires increased efficiency in learning and understanding. This requires the engineers of tomorrow to quickly gain knowledge and insight outside their prime area of expertise. To transfer…

This review of ideas from cognitive and educational psychology that are related to the problem of how to teach non-programmers to use computers explores two techniques. The first one discussed is the effects of concrete models on people's understanding and learning of new technical information such as computer programming. Research results provide…

This review addresses several key issues in research on the potential relationship between programing language instruction and problem solving. Issues associated with problem-solving theory, expertise, transfer of training, treatment-related issues, language-related issues, and sampling are considered. Treatment-related and language-related issues…

This study assessed whether word processing can be taught conceptually so that students can decontextualize concepts from a specific program setting and thus achieve a greater level of learning and far transfer. The sample for this study consisted of 38 students at Central Wyoming College enrolled in word processing classes--two sections during…

During the school year 1977/78 four computers equipped with LOGO and Turtle Graphics were installed in an elementary school in Brookline, Massachusetts. All sixth grade students in the school had between 20 and 40 hours of hands-on experience with the computers, and the work of 16 students ranging from intellectually gifted and average to learning…