ERIC Number: EJ1106775
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1547-9714
EISSN: N/A
Code to Learn: Where Does It Belong in the K-12 Curriculum?
Moreno-León, Jesús; Robles, Gregorio; Román-González, Marcos
Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, v15 p283-303 2016
The introduction of computer programming in K-12 has become mainstream in the last years, as countries around the world are making coding part of their curriculum. Nevertheless, there is a lack of empirical studies that investigate how learning to program at an early age affects other school subjects. In this regard, this paper compares three quasi-experimental research designs conducted in three different schools (n = 129 students from 2nd and 6th grade), in order to assess the impact of introducing programming with Scratch at different stages and in several subjects. While both 6th grade experimental groups working with coding activities showed a statistically significant improvement in terms of academic performance, this was not the case in the 2nd grade classroom. Notable disparity was also found regarding the subject in which the programming activities were included, as in social studies the effect size was double that in mathematics.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Programming, Computer Science Education, Introductory Courses, Coding, Quasiexperimental Design, Elementary School Students, Grade 2, Grade 6, Outcomes of Education, Experimental Groups, Control Groups, Statistical Significance, Academic Achievement, Student Improvement, Social Studies, Mathematics, Effect Size, Pretests Posttests, Statistical Analysis, Student Surveys, Student Satisfaction, Correlation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Elementary Education; Grade 2; Primary Education; Early Childhood Education; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Argentina; Spain
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A