research-article

Modeling the learning progressions of computational thinking of primary grade students

Authors:

Brendan ForemanAuthors Info & Claims

ICER '13: Proceedings of the ninth annual international ACM conference on International computing education research

Pages 59 - 66

https://doi.org/10.1145/2493394.2493403

Published: 12 August 2013 Publication History

Abstract

We introduce the Progression of Early Computational Thinking (PECT) Model, a framework for understanding and assessing computational thinking in the primary grades (Grades 1 to 6). The model synthesizes measurable evidence from student work with broader, more abstract coding design patterns, which are then mapped onto computational thinking concepts.

We present the results of a pilot-test study of the PECT Model in order to demonstrate its potential efficacy in detecting both differences in computational thinking among students of various ages as well as any clear overall progressions in increasing computational sophistication. Results of this sort are vital for establishing research-based and age-appropriate curricula for students in the primary grades, i.e., developing non-trivial, challenging but not overly daunting lesson plans that utilize the cognitive development stage of each grade level most effectively.

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Cited By

Li LHuang CMorgan CLuttgen KChow EYang S(2025)Empowering rural students through computational thinking and real-world STEM applications: insights from an innovative high school curriculumFrontiers in Education10.3389/feduc.2024.14524709Online publication date: 3-Jan-2025
https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1452470
Sari UUlusoy APektaş H(2025)Computational Thinking in Science Laboratories Based on the Flipped Classroom Model: Computational Thinking, Laboratory Entrepreneurial and AttitudeJournal of Science Education and Technology10.1007/s10956-024-10192-yOnline publication date: 6-Jan-2025
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-024-10192-y
Chai XSun YGao Y(2024)Towards Data-Driving Multi-View Evaluation Framework for ScratchTsinghua Science and Technology10.26599/TST.2023.901001629:2(517-528)Online publication date: Apr-2024
https://doi.org/10.26599/TST.2023.9010016
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Index Terms

Modeling the learning progressions of computational thinking of primary grade students
1. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Computing education
      1. Computing education programs
        Computer science education

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cover image ACM Conferences

ICER '13: Proceedings of the ninth annual international ACM conference on International computing education research

August 2013

202 pages

ISBN:9781450322430

DOI:10.1145/2493394

General Chairs:
Beth Simon
University of California, San Diego, USA
,
Alison Clear
CPIT, Christchurch, NZ
,
Quintin Cutts
University of Glasgow, UK

Copyright © 2013 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected]

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SIGCSE: ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

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Published: 12 August 2013

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ICER '13

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SIGCSE

ICER '13: International Computing Education Research Conference

August 12 - 14, 2013

San California, San Diego, USA

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ICER '13 Paper Acceptance Rate 22 of 70 submissions, 31%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 189 of 803 submissions, 24%

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ICER 2025

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ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research

August 3 - 6, 2025

Charlottesville , VA , USA

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Cited By

Li LHuang CMorgan CLuttgen KChow EYang S(2025)Empowering rural students through computational thinking and real-world STEM applications: insights from an innovative high school curriculumFrontiers in Education10.3389/feduc.2024.14524709Online publication date: 3-Jan-2025
https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1452470
Sari UUlusoy APektaş H(2025)Computational Thinking in Science Laboratories Based on the Flipped Classroom Model: Computational Thinking, Laboratory Entrepreneurial and AttitudeJournal of Science Education and Technology10.1007/s10956-024-10192-yOnline publication date: 6-Jan-2025
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-024-10192-y
Chai XSun YGao Y(2024)Towards Data-Driving Multi-View Evaluation Framework for ScratchTsinghua Science and Technology10.26599/TST.2023.901001629:2(517-528)Online publication date: Apr-2024
https://doi.org/10.26599/TST.2023.9010016
Kwon KBrush TKim KSeo M(2024)Embodied Learning for Computational Thinking in a Mixed-Reality ContextJournal of Educational Computing Research10.1177/0735633124129117362:8(1939-1960)Online publication date: 13-Oct-2024
https://doi.org/10.1177/07356331241291173
Reichert HTabarsi BPrice TBarnes T(2024)Jigsaw: A Tool for Decomposing and Planning Programming Problems2024 IEEE Symposium on Visual Languages and Human-Centric Computing (VL/HCC)10.1109/VL/HCC60511.2024.00034(236-247)Online publication date: 2-Sep-2024
https://doi.org/10.1109/VL/HCC60511.2024.00034
Shen LMirakhur ZLaCour S(2024)Investigating the psychometric features of a locally designed computational thinking assessment for elementary studentsComputer Science Education10.1080/08993408.2024.2344400(1-20)Online publication date: 27-Apr-2024
https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2024.2344400
Severance SMiller EKrajcik J(2024)IF science AND making AND computing: Insights for project-based learning and primary science curriculum designStudies in Science Education10.1080/03057267.2024.2397300(1-65)Online publication date: 19-Sep-2024
https://doi.org/10.1080/03057267.2024.2397300
Metin ŞBaşaran MSeheryeli MRelkin EKalyenci D(2024)Adaptation of the Computational Thinking Skills Assessment Tool (TechCheck-K) in Early ChildhoodJournal of Science Education and Technology10.1007/s10956-023-10089-233:3(365-382)Online publication date: 2-Jan-2024
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-023-10089-2
Cheng MLai XTao DLai JYang J(2024)Children’s programming environment acceptance: extending the boundary conditions to programming competition, computational thinking, and programming modalityEducation and Information Technologies10.1007/s10639-023-12325-z29:1(939-969)Online publication date: 1-Jan-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1007/s10639-023-12325-z
YILDIRIM EULUYOL Ç(2023)Developing Computational Thinking Scale for Primary School Students and Examining Students' Thinking Levels According to Different VariablesJournal of Learning and Teaching in Digital Age10.53850/joltida.11761738:1(113-123)Online publication date: 8-Jan-2023
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