Code.org was introduced in 2013. The website familiarizes and teaches kids the basics of computer programing through drag and drop techniques. In the article "A new way of teaching programming skills to K-12 students: code.org," the author, Filiz Kaleliog˘lu, analyzes the impact of code.org on reflective thinking skills towards problem solving and other developmental areas, through both a quantitative and qualitative study on a group of thirty-two 4th grade primary school students. The author also looks at these results in a gender specific way comparing the outcomes of male and female participants. The article seeks to understand the impact of the introduction of code.org and cites other recent literature looking at the use and impact of computer programming in the curriculum through other educational platforms. The author's motivation for conducting this study was the lack of general information on the impact of the use of code.org in the classroom as it is a relatively new resource.
Statement of the Problem
There have been no studies that have addressed students’ reflective thinking skills towards problem-solving. Moreover, none address the experiences of students with code.org, a drag and drop visual programming platform launched in 2013. Currently, the effects of teaching programming with the code.org site still remain unclear in the literature. It is therefore necessary to explore how the code.org site influences students’ learning experiences and their reflective thinking skills towards problem solving. (Kaleliog˘lu, 2015)
Significance of the Problem
Currently, the effects of teaching programming with the code.org site still remain unclear in the literature. It is therefore necessary to explore how the code.org site influences students’ learning experiences and their reflective thinking skills towards problem solving. This would provide a better understanding regarding how to apply blocky coding to promote students’ reflective thinking skill towards problem solving, and as such, such a study would contribute to the literature. (Kaleliog˘lu, 2015)
Conceptual Framework
The research for this study was framed within the concept of the importance of reflective thinking skills towards problem solving as a fundamental part of critical thinking process. The steps involved in coding such as the programs found at the code.org website are an example of reflective thinking skills in action. Also, the research was guided by an understanding from other research that there is currently a gender difference between males and females in regards to proficiency in computer programming skills with males currently being more proficient at computer programming at the higher education level. This gender difference has been linked to a lack of engagement by girls in coding activities throughout their schooling and is not a reflection of ability. (Kaleliog˘lu, 2015)
The following research questions were examined by Kaleliog˘lu for this study and analysis:
1) What is the effect of teaching programming on reflective thinking skills towards problem solving of primary school students?
2) Is there a gender difference on reflective thinking skill towards problem solving of primary school students?
3) What is the performance of the students on code-org site?
4) What do they think about programming and the code-org site?
5) What were the reflections of the IT teacher on teaching programming to the students? (Kaleliog˘lu, 2015)
Methodological approach
The study for this research was carried out on 32, 10 year old fourth grade students. 17 of the students were female and 15 of them were male. The students were studied over a 5 week code.org based computer class that was one hour a week in an elementary school in Turkey. This study was carried out in triangulation design. In the triangulation design, researchers use the quantitative and qualitative approaches during the same timeframe with equal weight. (Kaleliog˘lu, 2015) The quantitative results were measured through the administration of a pre and post test.
In this study, multiple data collection tools were used in order to answer the research questions. For research questions one and two, an instrument was used; for research question three, students’ performance was analysed from the code.org site, for research question four and its related sub-questions, a focus group interview process was conducted; and for the last question, a reflection paper from the IT teacher was analysed. (Kaleliog˘lu, 2015) Interviews were also conducted with a sampling of the participants.
Findings
The main finding from this study with the 32 student participants in this limited one hour a week course based on the code.org site, was that there was not a significant increase in reflective thinking skills towards problem solving based on the outcomes on the pre and post test that was administered. There was a slight increase among the female students who tested higher than the males on both tests and showed a small measurable increase from one test to the other. Another finding was that all the students had a positive experience with the website and felt like it benefited them by teaching them programming and helping them in other subject areas, especially math. The IT instructor also had a very positive experience through the course and gave a positive review of the user friendliness and pedagogical qualities of the code.org website. (Kaleliog˘lu, 2015)
Conclusions and Implications
The conclusions of the author based on the findings of the study are that code.org is a very useful and beneficial website both from the perspective of the students and the teacher. While there was no significant increase in reflective thinking skills towards problem solving based on the outcomes, this was a short course of only 5 hours over 5 weeks and a small sample size. The results also show that using these types of coding activities helps students across their curriculum, especially with math and general self-confidence. Due to the small population size for the study and small amount of time dedicated to the course itself, there is still much room for further research on the overall impact computer programming platforms have on reflective thinking skills towards problem solving.(Kaleliog˘lu, 2015)
References
Kalelioglu, F. (n.d). A new way of teaching programming skills to K-12 students: Code.org. Computers In Human Behavior, 52, 200-210.
No comments:
Post a Comment