Abstract
Computational thinking is a relatively new concept that has attracted research interest during the last decade and has gained popularity in the field of applied education as well. This paper attempts to shed light upon the development of computational thinking in early childhood through an applied, experimental approach aiming to clarify the connection between computational thinking and programming with emphasis on visual and tangible programming of educational robots. The research is based on a case study that investigates the impact of robotics on the cultivation of computational thinking skills in early childhood through an educational intervention implemented in a typical public kindergarten in Athens, Greece. The intervention focuses on the development of particular aspects of computational thinking with the use of a programmable floor robot. The implementation follows a detailed lesson plan that encompasses all the robotic activities involved. Pupils’ activities, behavior and exchange are monitored for evaluation purposes. Data collected during the intervention are analyzed in an attempt to answer research questions related to the potential of robotics in the development of computational thinking in early childhood. Results indicate that the use of a robot in a playful way, suitable for the stage of development of kindergarten pupils, leads to notable enhancement of the kindergartners’ computational skills – a finding that is consistent to those of existing research studies on similar questions. Given the limited scale of this study, the positive results obtained may serve as a basis for the design of further, more extensive research on this issue.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Fisch, K., McLeod, S.: Did you know? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMcfrLYDm2U. Accessed 10 Oct 2018
Papert, S.: Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. Basic Books, New York (1980)
Wing, J.M.: Computational thinking. Commun. ACM 49(3), 33–35 (2006)
Wing, J.M.: Research Notebook: Computational Thinking - What and Why? Carnegie Mellon University Magazine ‘The Link’, Pittsburg (2011)
Bocconi, S., Chioccariello, A., Dettori, G., Ferrari, A., Engelhardt, K.: Developing computational thinking in compulsory education – Implications for policy and practice. EUR 28295 EN (2016). http://www.eun.org/resources/detail?publicationID=861. Accessed 10 Oct 2018
Brennan, K., Resnick, M.: Using artifact-based interviews to study the development of computational thinking in interactive media design. In: Proceedings Annual American Educational Research Association meeting, Vancouver, BC, Canada (2012)
Lye, S.Y., Koh, J.H.L.: Review on teaching and learning of computational thinking through programming: what is next for K-12? Comput. Hum. Behav. 41, 51–61 (2014)
Mannila, L., Dagiene, V., Demo, B., Grgurina, N., Mirolo, C., Rolandsson, L., Settle, A.: Computational thinking in K-9 education. In: Proceedings ITiCSE-WGR 2014, Uppsala, Sweden (2014)
Chuang, H.-C., Hu, C.-F., Wu, C.-C., Lin, Y.-T.: Computational thinking curriculum for K-12 education - a Delphi survey. In: Proceedings International Conference on Learning and Teaching in Computing and Engineering, Taipei, Taiwan. IEEE (2015)
Angeli, C., Voogt, J., Fluck, A., Webb, M., Cox, M., Malyn-Smith, J., Zagami, J.: A K-6 computational thinking curriculum framework: implications for teacher knowledge. Educ. Technol. Soc. 19(3), 47–57 (2016)
Lockwood, J., Mooney, A.: Computational thinking in secondary education: where does it fit? A systematic literary review. Int. J. Comput. Sci. Educ. Sch. 2(1), 41–60 (2018)
Yadav, A., Stephenson, C., Hong, H.: Computational thinking for teacher education. Commun. ACM 60(4), 55–62 (2017)
Kotsopoulos, D., Floyd, L., Khan, S., Namukasa, J.K., Somanath, S., Weber, J., Yiu, C.: A pedagogical framework for computational thinking. Digit. Exp. Math. Educ. 3(2), 154–171 (2017)
Yadav, A., Zhou, N., Mayfield, C., Hambrusch, S., Korb, J.T.: Introducing computational thinking in education courses. In: Proceedings of ACM Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education, Dallas, TX, USA (2011)
Scharf, F., Winkler, T., Herczeg, M.: Tangicons: algorithmic reasoning in a collaborative game for children in kindergarten and first class. In: Proceedings 7th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (IDC 2008), Chicago, Illinois, USA, pp. 242–249. ACM (2008)
Stoeckelmayr, K., Tesar, M., Hofmann, A.: Kindergarten children programming robots: a first attempt. In: Proceedings 2nd International Conference on Robotics in Education (RiE 2011), Vienna, Austria, pp. 185–192 (2011)
Gordon, M., Rivera, E., Ackermann, E., Breazeal, C.: Designing a relational social robot toolkit for preschool children to explore computational concepts. In: Proceedings 14th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (IDC 2015), pp. 355–358. ACM, New York (2015)
Kazakoff, E., Bers, M.U.: Programming in a robotics context in the kindergarten classroom: the impact on sequencing skills. J. Educ. Multimedia Hypermedia 21(4), 371–391 (2012)
Bers, M.U., Flannery, E.L., Kazakoff, E.R., Sullivan, A.: Computational thinking and tinkering: exploration of an early childhood robotics curriculum. Comput. Educ. 72, 145–157 (2014)
Sullivan, A., Bers, M.U.: Robotics in the early childhood classroom: learning outcomes from an 8-week robotics curriculum in pre-kindergarten through second grade. Int. J. Technol. Des. Educ. 26(1), 3–20 (2015)
Elkin, M., Sullivan, A., Bers, M.U.: Programming with the KIBO robotics kit in preschool classrooms. Comput. Sch. 33(3), 169–186 (2016)
Toh, L.P.E., Causo, A., Tzuo, P.W., Chen, I.M., Yeo, S.H.: A review on the use of robots in education and young children. Educ. Technol. Soc. 19(2), 148–163 (2016)
Pugnali, A., Sullivan, A., Bers, M.U.: The impact of user interface on young children’s computational thinking. J. Inf. Technol. Educ. Innovations Pract. 16, 171–193 (2017)
João-Monteiro, M., Cristóvão-Morgado, R., Bulas-Cruz, M., Morgado, L.: A robot in kindergarten. In: Proceedings Eurologo’2003 - Re-inventing Technology on Education, Porto, Portugal (2003)
Highfield, K., Mulligan, J., Hedberg, J.: Early mathematics learning through exploration with programmable toys. In: Figueras, O., Cortina, J.L., Alatorre, S., Rojano, T., Sepulveda, A. (eds.) Proceedings Joint Meeting PME 32 and PME-Na, Morelia, Mexico, vol. 3, pp. 169–176. Cinvestav-UMSNH (2008)
Grover, S., Pea, R.: Computational thinking in K-12: a review of the state of the field. Educ. Res. 42(1), 38–43 (2013)
Fessakis, G., Gouli, E., Mavroudi, E.: Problem solving by 5–6 year old kindergarten children in a computer programming environment: a case study. Comput. Educ. 63, 87–97 (2013)
Strawhacker, A., Lee, M., Caine, C., Bers, M-U.: ScratchJr demo: a coding language for kindergarten. In: Proceedings 14th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (IDC 2015), Boston, MA, USA. ACM (2015)
Highfield, K.: Robotic toys as a catalyst for mathematical problem solving. Aust. Primary Math. Classroom 15(2), 22–27 (2010)
Kazakoff, E., Sullivan, A., Bers, M.: The effect of a classroom-based intensive robotics and programming workshop on sequencing ability in early childhood. Early Childhood Educ. J. 41(4), 245–255 (2013)
Komis, V., Misirli A.: Étude des processus de construction d’algorithmes et de programmes par les petits enfants à l’aide de jouets programmables. Dans Sciences et technologies de l’information et de la communication (STIC) en milieu éducatif: Objets et méthodes d’enseignement et d’apprentissage, de la maternelle à l’université. Clermont-Ferrand, France (2013)
Ohlson, T., Monroe-Ossi, H., Fountain, C., McLemore, B., Carlson, D., Wehry, S.: Exploring programming and robotics in early childhood classrooms. In: Proceedings International Society for Technology in Education, Denver, Colorado, USA. ISTE (2016)
Cohen, L., Manion, L., Morrison, K.: Research Methods in Education. Routledge, New York (2007)
Laevers, F. (ed.): Well-being and Involvement in Care Settings. A Process-oriented Self-evaluation Instrument. Research Centre for Experiential Education, Leuven University, Belgium (2011)
Dewey, J.: Experience and education. In: Garforth, F.W. (ed.) John Dewey: Selected Educational Writings. Heinemann, London (1966)
Vygotsky, L.S.: Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (1978)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Roussou, E., Rangoussi, M. (2020). On the Use of Robotics for the Development of Computational Thinking in Kindergarten: Educational Intervention and Evaluation. In: Merdan, M., Lepuschitz, W., Koppensteiner, G., Balogh, R., Obdržálek, D. (eds) Robotics in Education. RiE 2019. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 1023. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26945-6_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26945-6_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-26944-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-26945-6
eBook Packages: Intelligent Technologies and RoboticsIntelligent Technologies and Robotics (R0)