Computational thinking, programming self-efficacy, problem solving and experiences in the programming process conducted with robotic activities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the skill levels of secondary school students regarding computational thinking, programming self-efficacy and reflective thinking aimed at problem solving and examine their experiences in the programming training process on robotic activities. Toward this purpose, a 10-week application was conducted with 55 students from 6th and 7th grades who received education at a secondary school in Western Black Sea region of Turkey during the school year of 2017-2018. The study was conducted using the mixed model and various scales in the quantitative dimension. On the other hand, a semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers was applied in the qualitative dimension. As a result, it was found out that students’ computational thinking skills, programming self-efficacy and reflective thinking aimed at problem solving were moderate. Students’ levels of computational thinking and programming self-efficacy were observed to differ depending on their grade levels. In addition, a positive and moderate relationship was found among the levels of computational thinking, programming self-efficacy and reflective thinking aimed at problem solving. © 2019 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.