Purpose of this study is determined effects of different teaching approaches on programming skills. Therefore, the effect of three different types of activities prepared with Scratch on 423 sixth grade students' attitudes towards computer technologies, algorithmic thinking skills and reflective thinking skills on problem solving were investigated.…

Pedagogy has emphasized that physical representations and tangible interactive objects benefit learning especially for young students. There are many tangible hardware platforms for introducing computer programming to children, but there is limited comparative evaluation of them in the context of a formal classroom. In this work, we explore the…

The focus of this research was to create and test an introductory computer science course for middle school. Titled "Foundations for Advancing Computational Thinking" (FACT), the course aims to prepare and motivate middle school learners for future engagement with algorithmic problem solving. FACT was also piloted as a seven-week course…

This article presents EarSketch, a learning environment that combines computer programming with sample-based music production to create a computational remixing environment for learning introductory computing concepts. EarSketch has been employed in both formal and informal settings, yielding significant positive results in student content…

Among educational researchers and practitioners, there is a growing interest in employing computer games for pedagogical purposes. The present research integrated a technology education class and a science class where 5th graders learned about environmental issues by designing games that involved environmental concepts. The purposes of this study…

Investigated the effectiveness of two computer literacy courses for preservice teachers, one offered online and one through traditional methods. Compared courses in terms of their effectiveness on computer attitudes and learning experiences about computers, and considered gender effects, previous computer courses, previous computer attitudes, and…

This study examined the effect of two computer literacy courses (one was offered online, and the other was offered through traditional methods) at the Middle East Technical University (Turkey). The two courses were compared in terms of their effectiveness on computer attitudes of student-teachers. The study also explored the other factors that…

Project FOCAL Point is a multi-strand project designed to increase female participation in the computing sciences. The project targets two crucial groups: high school computing teachers and female high school students. Features include a two-week teacher workshop, a one-week Computer Camp for Young Women, mini-grant projects and a follow-up…