Explorations of two approaches to learning CT in a game environment for elementary school students

Collaboration can be a significant determinant in the teaching and development of computational thinking (CT) skills in school students. This paper presented a case study on how students learned CT skills through a coding game via two approaches: one using collaborative learning (through cognitive apprenticeship) and the other through individual learning. The quasi-experimental design was used in two classes (24 students in each class) and was divided into using one of the two approaches. Relevant data were collected through pre- and post-tests based on the E-game CT test. The research results indicated: (1) Both collaborative learning (through cognitive apprenticeship) and individual learning effectively enhanced the learning effects of students’ development for CT skills in an E-game coding education platform; (2) In collaborative learning (through cognitive apprenticeship), students in lower-scoring groups could enhance their CT skills more effectively than those in higher-scoring groups; (3) For those students who fell in the two lower-scoring groups, those in collaborative learning (through cognitive apprenticeship) had higher significant learning effects than those in individual learning; (4) Students with lower scores who programmed with a higher-scoring partner learned more than when they programmed alone. Overall, this study showed that the use of an E-game learning platform enabled the learning process of CT to become more interesting and challenging for students. Copyright © 2021 Beijing Normal University.