The effects of scaffolded programming scripts on pre-service teachers’ computational thinking: Developing algorithmic thinking through programming robots

Abstract Workers in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics play a significant role in the sustained growth and stability of the global economy, and, thus constitute a critical component in helping all countries worldwide to prosper. In this context, computational thinking constitutes an important skill to have as it enables workers to develop creative solutions to complex problems. Nonetheless, across all economies worldwide, there is a need to have more workers who are able to think through problems, challenges, and solutions in computational terms. It is thus of utmost importance to integrate the teaching of computational thinking in K-12 education in order to reduce the skills gap between education and the workplace. A pertinent and crucial question that arises is whether teachers have the knowledge and skills to teach students how to think computationally. Existing research shows that teacher education departments do not currently have the knowledge to promote computational thinking in their programs. The present study focuses on two aspects of computational thinking, such as, algorithmic thinking and debugging skills with the use of scaffolded programming scripts in an educational technology undergraduate course. The results show statistically significant learning gains in pre-service teachers’ algorithmic thinking and debugging skills in the context of robotic programming activities with LEGO WeDo. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.