Abstract
Learning computational thinking and programming is important for the twenty-first century. A variety of research studies have examined these areas and many systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been published since 2006, reviewing these research studies. This chapter provides an overview of 37 systematic reviews and 12 meta-analysis studies on computational thinking and programming. Overviews of review studies are useful in providing a wider and more in-depth understanding of the area under study. Specifically, this chapter highlights areas of difficulties in learning to program and discusses relevant skills and programming tools and the gaps in research identified in the reviews.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alammary, A. (2019). Blended learning models for introductory programming courses: A systematic review. PloS One, 14(9), e0221765–e0221765. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221765
Angeli, C., Voogt, J., Fluck, A., Webb, M., Cox, M., Malyn-Smith, J., & Zagami, J. (2016). A K-6 computational thinking curriculum framework: Implications for teacher knowledge. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 19(3), 47–57. http://www.jstor.org/stable/jeductechsoci.19.3.47
Bakala, E., Gerosa, A., Hourcade, J. P., & Tejera, G. (2021). Preschool children, robots, and computational thinking: A systematic review. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction, 29, 10037. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2021.100337
Battal, A., Afacan Adanır, G., & Gülbahar, Y. (2021). Computer science unplugged: A systematic literature review. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 50(1), 24–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/00472395211018801
Batista, A. L., Connolly, T., & Angotti, J. A. (2016). A framework for games-based construction learning: A text-based programming languages approach. 10th European Conference on Games Based Learning. https://search.proquest.com/openview/8a1755d985b3545571f3101a9fe45b24/1.pdf?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=396495
Bau, D., Bau, D., Dawson, M., & Pickens, C. (2015). Pencil code: Block code for a text world. In Proceedings of the 14th international conference on interaction design and children, (pp. 445–448). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/2771839.2771875.
Bers, M. U. (2019). Coding as another language: A pedagogical approach for teaching computer science in early childhood. Journal of Computers in Education, 6, 499–528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-019-00147-3
Berssanette, J. H., & de Francisco, A. C. (2021). Active learning in the context of the teaching/learning of computer programming: A systematic review. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 20, 201–220. https://doi.org/10.28945/4767
Brennan, K., & Resnick, M. (2012). New frameworks for studying and assessing the development of computational thinking. In Proceedings of the 2012 annual meeting of the American educational research association (pp. 1–25). https://web.media.mit.edu/~kbrennan/files/Brennan_Resnick_AERA2012_CT.pdf
Boyle, J., Connolly, M., & MacKay, T. (2016). Systematic review and meta analysis. Educational and Child Psychology, 33(3), 76–91. https://pureportal.strath.ac.uk/en/publications/systematic-review-and-meta-analysis
Costa, J. M., & Miranda, G. L. (2017). Relation between Alice software and programming learning: A systematic review of the literature and meta-analysis. British Journal of Educational Technology, 48(6), 1464–1474. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12496
Costa, J. M., Moro, S., Miranda, G., & Arnold, T. (2020). Empowered learning through microworlds and teaching methods: A text mining and meta-analysis-based systematic review. Research in Learning Technology, 28, 2396–2412. https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v28.2396
Coto, M., Mora, S., Grass, B., & Murillo-Morera, J. (2021). Emotions and programming learning: Systematic mapping. Computer Science Education, 32(1), 30–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2021.1920816
Cruz Pinheiro, F., Wangenheim, R., & Missfeldt Filho, R. (2017). Teaching software engineering in K-12 education: A systematic mapping study. Informatics in Education, 17(2), 167–206. https://doi.org/10.15388/infedu.2018.10
Drucker, A. M., Fleming, P., & Chan, A. (2016). Research techniques made simple: Assessing risk of bias in systematic reviews. Journal of Investigative Dermatology, 136(11), 109–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2016.08.021
Ezeamuzie, N. O., & Leung, J. S. (2021). Computational thinking through an empirical lens: A systematic review of literature. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 60(2), 481–511. https://doi.org/10.1177/07356331211033158
Ezeamuzie, N. O., Leung, J. S., & Ting, F. S. (2021). Unleashing the potential of abstraction from cloud of computational thinking: A systematic review of literature. Journal of Educational Computing Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/07356331211055379.
Fagerlund, J., Häkkinen, P., Vesisenaho, M., & Viiri, J. (2020). Computational thinking in programming with scratch in primary schools: A systematic review. Computational thinking: Enhancing STEAM and engineering education from theory to practice. Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 29(1), 12–28. https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22255
Gates, M., Gates, A., Guitard, S., Pollock, M., & Hartling, L. (2020). Guidance for overviews of reviews continues to accumulate, but important challenges remain: A scoping review. Systematic Reviews, 9, 245. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-020-01509-0
Hu, Y., Chen, C. H., & Su, C. Y. (2020). Exploring the effectiveness and moderators of block-based visual programming on student learning: A meta-analysis. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 58(8), 1467–1493. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633120945935
Huang, W., & Looi, C. (2021). A critical review of literature on “unplugged” pedagogies in K-12 computer science and computational thinking education. Computer Science Education, 31(1), 83–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2020.1789411
Kakavas, P., & Ugolini, F. C. (2019). Computational thinking in primary education: A systematic literature review. Research on Education and Media, 11(2), 64–94. https://doi.org/10.2478/rem-2019-0023
Kandemir, C. M., Kalelioğlu, F., & Gülbahar, Y. (2020). Pedagogy of teaching introductory text-based programming in terms of computational thinking concepts and practices. Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 29(1), 29–45. https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.22374
Macrides, E., Miliou, O., & Angeli, C. (2021). Programming in early childhood education: A systematic review. International Journal of Child-Computer Interaction., 100396. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcci.2021.100396
McCormick, K.I., & Hall, J.A. (2021). Computational thinking learning experiences, outcomes, and research in preschool settings: A scoping review of literature. Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-021-10765-z.
Medeiros, R. P., Ramalho, G. L., & Falcao, T. P. (2019). A systematic literature review on teaching and learning introductory programming in higher education. IEEE Transactions on Education, 62(2), 77–90. https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.2018.2864133
Merino-Armero, J. M., González-Calero, J. A., & Cózar-Gutiérrez, R. (2021). Computational thinking in K-12 education. An insight through meta-analysis. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2020.1870250.
Montiel, H., & Gomez-Zermeño, M. G. (2021). Educational challenges for computational thinking in K–12 education: A systematic literature review of “scratch” as an innovative programming tool. Computers, 10(6), 69. https://doi.org/10.3390/computers10060069
Noone, M., & Mooney, A. (2018). Visual and textual programming languages: A systematic review of the literature. Journal of Computers in Education, 5(2), 149–174. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-018-0101-5
Ogegbo, A. A., & Ramnarain, U. (2021). A systematic review of computational thinking in science classrooms. Studies in Science Education, 1-28, 203–230. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057267.2021.1963580
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., et al. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ (Online), 372, 71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
Papadakis, S. J., Kalogiannakis, M., & Zaranis, N. (2016). Developing fundamental programming concepts and computational thinking with ScratchJr in preschool education: A case study. International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation, 10(3), 187–202. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJMLO.2016.077867
Perera, P., Tennakoon, G., Ahangama, S., Panditharathna, R., & Chathuranga, B. (2021). A systematic mapping of introductory programming languages for novice learners. IEEE Access, 9, 88121–88136. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3089560
Tikva, C., & Tambouris, E. (2021). Mapping computational thinking through programming in K-12 education: A conceptual model based on a systematic literature review. Computers in Education, 163(104083), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.104083
Wing, J. M. (2006). Computational thinking. Communications of the ACM, 49(3), 33–35.
Xu, Z., Ritzhaupt, A. D., Tian, F., & Umapathy, K. (2019). Block-based versus text-based programming environments on novice student learning outcomes: A meta-analysis study. Computer Science Education, 29(2–3), 177–204. https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2019.1565233
Yusoff, K. M., Sahari, N., Siti, T., & Mohd, N. (2020). Analysis on the requirements of computational thinking skills to overcome the difficulties in learning programming. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, 11(3), 244–253. https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2020.0110329
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Chalmers, C. (2023). The Problem with Programming: An Overview. In: Keane, T., Fluck, A.E. (eds) Teaching Coding in K-12 Schools. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21970-2_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21970-2_13
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-21969-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-21970-2
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)