Teaching Abstraction in Computer Science to 7 Grade Students

Autor/inn/en	Statter, David; Armoni, Michal
Titel	Teaching Abstraction in Computer Science to 7 Grade Students
Quelle	In: ACM Transactions on Computing Education, 20 (2020) 1, Artikel 8 (37 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1946-6226
Schlagwörter	Middle School Students; Grade 7; Computer Science Education; Abstract Reasoning; Teaching Methods; Cognitive Development; Mathematics; Problem Solving; Introductory Courses; Programming Languages; Instructional Effectiveness + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Middle school; Middle schools; Student; Students; Mittelschule; Mittelstufenschule; Schüler; Schülerin; School year 07; 7. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 07; Computer science lessons; Informatikunterricht; Abstraktes Denken; Denken; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Kognitive Entwicklung; Mathematik; Problemlösen; Einführungskurs; Unterrichtserfolg
Abstract	Abstraction is one of the most fundamental ideas in computer science (CS), and as such, according to Bruner, it should be taught spirally, starting as early as possible and revisited at every level of education. However, teaching CS abstraction to novices is a very challenging task, and CS educational research has often demonstrated students' difficulties in learning this idea, in different contexts and at different age levels. The challenge in teaching CS abstraction is even greater when dealing with young students, since according to theories on children's cognitive development, their abstraction abilities may still be not fully developed. In 2013, Armoni introduced a framework for teaching abstraction in the context of algorithmic problem solving, intended for novice students. We studied the effect of this framework in an introductory CS course for 7th graders, in which Scratch was used as the programming language for implementing algorithmic solutions. Our findings indicate that the framework was highly effective for developing CS abstraction skills as well as other related skills and aspects, such as the tendency to provide explanations for solutions, the use of initialization processes, and the perception of the nature of CS. It also significantly improved students' general CS performance in this course. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01