Purpose: Much remains unknown about how young children orient to computational objects and how we as learning scientists can orient to young children as computational thinkers. While some research exists on how children learn programming, very little has been written about how they learn the technical skills needed to operate technologies or to…

Background/purpose: This study aimed to investigate teachers' perceptions of using advanced technological tools, specifically the NAO robot, in co-teaching settings to enhance class development and promote complex thinking in higher education. Complex thinking is a crucial skill in higher education, enabling students to effectively address and…

The study's purpose was to examine the contribution of a programmable robot to an intervention program for promoting spatial ability (spatial relations, visual-memory, mental rotation) of preschool children. Eighty-four participants were randomly assigned to three intervention groups: programmable-robot-based intervention, traditional…

This article presents an intervention proposal that seeks to develop computational thinking in Early Childhood Education, using an educational ground robot with programmed directionality controls. Within the observational methodology, it has been possible to characterize computational thinking in children of Early Childhood Education -- 5 years…

Coding learning can promote the development of computational thinking (CT) in young children. The effect of coding learning on CT may vary between different cultures. However, it lacks studies to evaluate the effect of coding learning on the various dimensions of CT in young Chinese children. To provide insight into this question, we recruited…

Hands-on activities in science learning are beneficial in enhancing creative thinking in students. However, scant studies have probed the nature of creative thinking developed by hands-on activities, particularly among primary school students and further investigation is thus mandated. Therefore, this study aims to explore the creative thinking…

Educational technologists and practitioners have made substantial strides in developing affordable digital and tangible resources to support both formal and informal computer science instruction. However, there is a lack of research on practice-based assignments, such as Internet of Things (IoT) projects, that allow undergraduate students to…

Background: Despite its obvious relevance to computer science, computational thinking (CT) is transdisciplinary with the potential of impacting one's analytical ability. Although countless efforts have been invested across K-12 education, there is a paucity of research at the postsecondary level about the extent to which CT can contribute to…

Early educational settings such as early childhood education and care and kindergarten (i.e. formal schooling) are important contexts to foster children's peer collaboration, an important skill for the twenty-first century. The prevalence of technology in early educational settings has continued to increase rapidly in ways that can support the…

Digital competence is an essential skill for pre-service teachers, and self-regulation is an important factor in this competence. However, lack of emotional support often affects development of students' digital competence. Therefore, an emotional support-embedded robot-based self-regulated learning (ES-RSRL) system was developed. This ES-RSRL…

Background: Teaching programming and computational thinking is becoming a major issue in many education systems. Numerous approaches are possible, but very few studies compare these different ways of implementing programming and computational thinking learning. Objectives: We compared three ways of teaching programming and computational thinking…

In elementary school classrooms, Computational Thinking (CT) teaching often is embedded in problem- or project-based pedagogies and involves programming using Educational Robotics. Little is known, however, about how children solve problems in these contexts, and how task designs influence which CT and problem-solving processes they apply. In this…

The present paper draws on research experiences matured during systematic research and focuses on the potential and processes of scaffolding the development of preschoolers' spatial skills, through engagement in coding activities within the context of a teaching experiment. Children of two urban kindergartens, aged between 4-6, took part in a…

This research aimed to study the effects of the WeDo 2.0 robot workshop on grade five students' acquisition of the computational thinking concepts (CTCs) and their acceptance of the robot technology. A quasi-experimental method, One-Group Pre-test Post-test design, was used. Thirty-five grade 5 students participated in a five-day (four hours of…

Engineering and technology teachers have advocated using robotics and coding to cultivate students' computational thinking and problem-solving skills at PreK-12 levels. Understanding teachers' perceptions of how preschool children develop strategies and skills for engaging in robotics and coding activities is crucial for promoting the early use of…