In this paper, we describe an educational activity involving the use of a digital artifact, implemented in a visual programming environment, for mediating the learning of axial symmetry in primary school through algorithmics and computer programming. The educational activity was designed with the aim of bringing out increasingly…

The aim of this pilot study is to support the activity-based unplugged coding and robotic coding skills of children during their preschool period. A significant sample was chosen for this quantitative research. The study group consisted of 24 5-year-old children being educated in a State kindergarten under the Gaziantep Provincial Directorate of…

Background and Context: Most studies about programming misconceptions are conducted at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Since the age level for starting learning programming is getting lower, there is a need for determining programming misconceptions for younger learners. Objective: Our goal is to determine programming misconceptions and…

The work of Niklaus Wirth, designer of the Pascal programming language, has led to the introduction of programming in schools in many countries often leading to a transformation in the way of thinking. In this article, we provide a retrospective analysis of the Lithuanian experience driven by Pascal and discuss the main ideas about teaching…

A census of Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC)-accredited journalism programs reveals that less than a quarter require students to learn code. Despite industry desires for journalists with coding skills, nearly 40% of the units offer no coding classes. Among programs that require code, most rely on a…

Several instructional approaches have been advanced for learning programming. However, effective ways of engaging beginners in programming in K-12 are still unclear, especially among low socioeconomic status learners in technology-deprived learning environments. Understanding the learning path of novice programmers will bridge this gap and explain…

Constructionism, long before it had a name, was intimately tied to the field of Artificial Intelligence. Soon after the birth of Logo at BBN, Seymour Papert set up the Logo Group as part of the MIT AI Lab. Logo was based upon Lisp, the first prominent AI programming language. Many early Logo activities involved natural language processing,…

Block-based programming languages (BBLs) have been proposed as a way to prepare students for learning to program in more sophisticated, text-based languages, such as Java. Hybrid BBLs add the ability to view and edit the block commands in auto-generated, text-based code. We compared the use of a non-hybrid BBL (Scratch), a hybrid BBL (Pencil…

Background: Feedback as one of the most influential factors for learning has been subject to a great body of research. It plays a key role in the development of educational technology systems and is traditionally rooted in deterministic feedback defined by experts and their experience. However, with the rise of generative AI and especially large…

Research on geometric transformations suggests that early learners possess intuitive understandings grounded in motion metaphors, transitioning to mappings. The processes through which students transition between these two conceptions are not fully understood. We propose that Vygotskian hybridizing (related to Vygotsky's articulation of everyday…

Background: The demand for engineers in the workforce continues to rise, which requires increased retention and degree completion at the undergraduate level. Engineering educators need to better understand opportunities to retain students in engineering majors. A strong sense of belonging in engineering represents one important contributor to…

This study aims to examine the views of fourth-grade primary school students on coding education given through the Scratch program by determining the students' skills in using the program and algorithmic thinking skills. The study was conducted as a one-group study with an embedded mixed design. The study group consisted of 32 students attending…

The reasons for teaching programming in school are indeed manifold. Programming can for example be utilized as a vehicle for understanding and learning particular mathematical subject matter, or as a tool for solving mathematical problems. In this paper, however, we propose to utilize programming as a vehicle for developing mathematical…

The integration of visual programming in early formal education has been found to promote computational thinking of students. Teachers' intuitive perspectives about optimal learning processes -- "folk psychology" -- impact their perspectives about teaching "folk pedagogy" and play a significant role in integrating educational…

Background Study: As interest in programming education continues to grow, more educators are incorporating programming into K-12 classrooms. There is evidence that programming can help develop essential skills for future societal advancement, known as 21st century skills. However, there has been limited research into which sub-skills of 21st…