The Effects of Teaching Programming via Scratch on Problem Solving Skills: A Discussion from Learners' Perspective
Kalelioğlu, F., & Gülbahar, Y. · 2014
grade Dquasi-experimentindependentnot-applicable
Sample
49
Population
Turkish grade 5 primary students.
Design
An explanatory sequential mixed-methods study with a single group, pre-post, and NO control group; the problem-solving inventory is self-report. It is recorded because it is the MODAL study of the modern computational-thinking literature — this is what most of the 74 to 105 studies inside the meta-analyses look like.
Key findings
Programming in Scratch did not cause any significant difference in the problem-solving skills of the primary-school students, with only a non-significant rise in the self-confidence subscale. Students liked it. The contrast between the qualitative enthusiasm and the quantitative null is the point: enjoying the activity is real, and separable from the transfer claim.
Genetic confound
Not applicable to a single-group pre-post design, whose problem is the absence of a counterfactual rather than heredity.
Replication notes
A single-arm design with nothing causal to replicate.
Effects
| Outcome | Metric | Value | Measure | Timing | Vs | Horizon | Class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Problem-solving inventory (self-report) | significance | no significant change | researcher-designed | post-test | none | end-of-treatment | far-transfer |
| Self-confidence in problem-solving ability | significance | non-significant increase | researcher-designed | post-test | none | end-of-treatment | non-cognitive |
Cited by
- Does learning to code improve general thinking?no effectconf: mediumgc: low