Developing Computational Thinking in Compulsory Education - Implications for policy and practice

Stefania Bocconi (), Augusto Chioccariello (), Giuliana Dettori (), Anusca Ferrari () and Katja Engelhardt ()
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Stefania Bocconi: Institute for Educational Technology, CNR (Italy)
Augusto Chioccariello: Institute for Educational Technology, CNR (Italy)
Giuliana Dettori: Institute for Educational Technology, CNR (Italy)
Anusca Ferrari: European Schoolnet
Katja Engelhardt: European Schoolnet

No JRC104188, JRC Research Reports from Joint Research Centre

Abstract: In the past decade, Computational Thinking (CT) and related concepts (e.g. coding, programing, algorithmic thinking) have received increasing attention in the educational field. This has given rise to a large amount of academic and grey literature, and also numerous public and private implementation initiatives. Despite this widespread interest, successful CT integration in compulsory education still faces unresolved issues and challenges. This report provides a comprehensive overview of CT skills for schoolchildren, encompassing recent research findings and initiatives at grassroots and policy levels. It also offers a better understanding of the core concepts and attributes of CT and its potential for compulsory education. The study adopts a mostly qualitative approach that comprises extensive desk research, a survey of Ministries of Education and semi-structured interviews, which provide insights from experts, practitioners and policy makers. The report discusses the most significant CT developments for compulsory education in Europe and provides a comprehensive synthesis of evidence, including implications for policy and practice.

Keywords: Computational Thinking; Coding; Programming; Algorithmic Thinking; 21st century skills; Innovation in Education; education policy; compulsory education; learning innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I20 I21 I23 I28 I29 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 68 pages
Date: 2016-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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