Identifying middle school students' challenges in computational thinking-based science learning

Area of Science:

• STEM Education
• Computational Thinking (CT)

Background:

• CT aligns with STEM practices, offering potential for enhanced science and math learning.
• Integrating CT with STEM education presents challenges in understanding student learning and difficulties.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate middle school students' challenges in a CT-based science learning environment (CTSiM).
• Analyze how challenges evolve across modeling activities and the impact of human support.
• Inform the development of embedded scaffolding tools to deepen science concept comprehension.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the CTSiM (Computational Thinking in Simulation and Modeling) learning environment for K-12 science.
• Observed and categorized computational and science domain-related challenges faced by middle school students.
• Analyzed the effectiveness of human-provided scaffolds in mitigating these challenges.

Main Results:

• Identified four broad categories and 14 subcategories of student challenges within CTSiM.
• Demonstrated that human-provided scaffolding significantly reduces the number of challenges students encounter over time.
• Observed an evolution of challenges across different modeling activities.

Conclusions:

• Human support is crucial for students navigating integrated CT and science curricula.
• Modifying CTSiM interfaces and embedding scaffolding tools can further aid students in overcoming programming, modeling, and science challenges.
• The study provides insights into fostering deeper science conceptual understanding through CT-based learning environments.