Scaffolding young children’s computational thinking in a technology-mediated classroom

Educators increasingly view computational thinking as a fundamental competency that is aligned with science, technology, and engineering (STEM) academic success. Accordingly, teachers must provide opportunities to support their children’s computational thinking during the STEM learning process. Although research has shown that computational thinking (CT) can enhance learning processes and outcomes across traditional subjects or learning domains, less is known about how teachers scaffold children's CT in a technology-mediated learning context. This exploratory study examined how a teacher's actions and technologies impacted the CT of three children (6 to 8 years old). Seven weekly videotaped 90-minute sessions of project-based activities, yielded 4,842 turns of talk (2,974 by children). Statistical discourse analysis revealed these results. After a teacher command, the children more often executed a sequence of actions leading towards solution, but less often showed problem understanding. After a teacher's open question, children were more likely to offer logically organized ideas. After a teacher's rhetorical question, they more often continued to search for information around the issue. When engaged in 3D printer activities, they more often logically organized ideas but less often showed problem understanding. Hence, it became apparent that educators should judiciously use teacher talk coupled with technology to scaffold and encourage the use of CT process in project inquiries. Copyright © 2023 ICLT.