Developing Eighth-Grade Students’ Computational Thinking with Critical Reflection

Zhenzhen He, Xuemei Wu, Qiyun Wang and Changqin Huang
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Zhenzhen He: School of Information Technology in Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
Xuemei Wu: School of Information Technology in Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510631, China
Qiyun Wang: National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
Changqin Huang: Key Laboratory of Intelligent Education Technology and Application of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 20, 1-21

Abstract: As computer science has become a vital power in facilitating the rapid and sustainable development of various fields, equipping everyone with computational thinking (CT) has been recognized as one of the core pillars supporting the sustainable development of individuals and our digital world. However, it remains challenging for secondary school students to assimilate CT. Recently, critical reflection has been proposed as a useful metacognitive strategy for regulating students’ thinking to solve current and future problems. In this study, a quasi-experiment was conducted to investigate the role of critical reflection in advancing eighth-grade students’ CT. The participants were 95 eighth-grade students, comprising an experimental group ( n = 49) and a control group ( n = 46). The students’ CT was evaluated based on their learning performance in computational concepts, computational practices, and computational perspectives. The results showed that critical reflection, compared with traditional instruction from teachers, could significantly advance eighth-grade students’ CT. Interestingly, the two groups showed significantly different learning performance in computational practices during the learning process. Furthermore, interaction with peers and instructors played an essential role in helping students engage as active agents in critical reflection. The results of this study emphasize the need to develop students’ CT by practicing critical reflection in eighth-grade education.

Keywords: computational thinking; critical reflection; secondary school students; interactions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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