The Application Research Of "Problem Solving Process Oriented Computational Thinking Framework" In Scratch Programming Class In Primary School

Computational Thinking(CT)is one of key competencies of information technology,and the instructional tools and strategies have been attracted increasing attention.In essence,Computational Thinking is a way of thinking to solve problems.It is a series of thinking activities generated by students in the process of forming problem solutions by using ideas and methods in the field of computer science.Some studies have shown that students' problem-solving ability can significantly affect their Computational Thinking,and advocate the development of students' Computational Thinking through the cultivation of problem-solving ability.Based on this,foreign researchers put forward a "Framework for Computational Thinking as a Problem-Solving Process ",and pointed out that the framework can be used to develop students' Computational Thinking.In terms of specific implementation paths,programming education has become an important way to cultivate Computational Thinking,because programming is not only about coding,but also involves the use of computer science concepts such as abstraction and decomposition to solve problems.In addition,the existing literature reveals the gender differences in computer programming,and began to explore the problem of female students'Computational Thinking training,but the number is relatively small.Based on the above considerations,this study aims to explore the effectiveness of problem-solving-oriented teaching framework in training primary school students' Computational Thinking,and to pay attention to gender differences in the development of students' Computational Thinking.In this study,the participants were fifth-grade elementary school students,and the "Framework for Computational Thinking as a Problem-Solving Process"(IGGIA),integrated with Scratch,was adopted as the Theoretical basis.And the quasi-experimental design of pre-and-post test of non-peer control group was used to explore the impact of this framework on primary school students' Computational Thinking and the gender differences among them.Mainly evaluate students' computational thinking ability and attitude,the students' Computational Thinking ability is assessed by scales and works analysis.The students' attitudes towards Computational Thinking are assessed by questionnaires.the students' development of Computational Thinking is comprehensively assessed by semi-structured focus group interviews.This study mainly focuses on four core issues:(a)Can the use of IGGIA framework effectively improve students'Computational Thinking ability?(b)Can the use of IGGIA framework enable girls and boys to achieve the same level of Computational Thinking?(c)Can the use of IGGIA framework effectively improve students' attitudes towards Computational Thinking?(d)Can the use of IGGIA framework enable girls and boys to reach the same level of Computational Thinking attitude?Through the teaching experiment,this paper draws the following conclusions:using the IGGIA framework of problem-oriented solution(a)significantly improved pupils'Computational Thinking ability;(b)significantly improved girls and boys' Computational Thinking ability and effectively narrowed the gap between girls and boys,so that made girls and boys' computational concepts and practices basically consistent;(c)had a significant positive impact on pupils' Computational Thinking attitude,especially on the attitude of algorithmic thinking,critical thinking and problem solving,has a positive but not significant impact on creativity and cooperative ability;(d)significantly improved girls and boys' Computational Thinking attitude.and didn't cause significant differences between boys and girls in Computational Thinking attitude.In contrast,the traditional teaching method(teaching and practice)had no significant effect on pupils'Computational Thinking ability,and it increased gender differences.In addition,the traditional teaching method has no positive impact on pupils' Computational Thinking attitude.These findings imply that constructivist-based positive pedagogy,rather than tools,play an important role in developing of students' Computational Thinking.In general,teaching Scratch programming with problem-solving IGGIA framework allows pupils to fully participate in the process of problem solving.Developing pupils'Computational Thinking ability and attitude in the process of problem solving is one of the effective ways to foster pupils' Computational Thinking.The conclusion of this study enriches the research on the cultivation of Computational Thinking,and has certain reference significance for the design,development and teaching practice of Computational Thinking curriculum in primary schools.