A Systematic Review of Computational Thinking in Early Ages

TL;DR

This systematic review analyzes over 60 studies from 2010-2020 on teaching computational thinking to preschool children using tools like programming, robotics, and playful activities, highlighting current initiatives and gaps.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive taxonomy of tools and methods used for developing computational thinking in early childhood, especially at the kindergarten level.

Findings

Identification of key tools like ScratchJr and KIBO for early CT development

Classification of CT initiatives into a detailed taxonomy

Highlighting the gap in CT education at preschool level

Abstract

Nowadays, technology has become dominant in the daily lives of most people around the world. From children to older people, technology is present, helping in the most diverse daily tasks and allowing accessibility. However, many times these people are just end-users, without any incentive to the development of computational thinking (CT). With advances in technologies, the abstraction of coding, programming languages, and the hardware resources involved will become a reality. However, while we have not progressed to this stage, it is necessary to encourage the development of CT teaching from an early age. This work will present state of the art concerning teaching initiatives and tools on programming (e.g., ScratchJr), robotics (e.g., KIBO), and other playful tools (e.g., Happy Maps) for the development of CT in the early ages, specifically filling the gap of CT at the kindergarten level. This survey presents a systematic review of the literature, emphasizing computational and robotic tools used in preschool classes to develop the CT. The systematic review evaluated more than 60 papers from 2010 to December 2020, electing 31 papers and adding three papers from the qualitative stage. The paper's amount was classified in taxonomy to show CT's principal tools and initiates applied to children early. To conclude this survey, an extensive discussion about the terms and authors related to this research area is present.