Primary school students’ intrinsic motivation to learn computational thinking through programming and CS unplugged

Abstract

Computational thinking has attracted increasingly attention in the last decade as it enables individual to solve problem efficiently by drawing on ideas from computer science. Programming and Computer Science Unplugged activity have been implemented as two approaches in teaching computational thinking in K-12 context. To enhance computational thinking education, it is imperative to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of both activities. In this research, the differences of programming and CS Unplugged in regard to motivating primary school students were compared from self-determination theory’s perspective. Around 200 fourth-grade students from five schools participated in the research and completed a modified Intrinsic Motivation Inventory after a six-week coding course. Statistical data were analyzed to make a comparison between programming and CS Unplugged from diverse facets. Meanwhile, responses from different schools were examined. Exploratory factor analysis and Confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to investigate the internal structure of intrinsic motivation. In sum, the findings suggested that primary school students are more motivated by programming activity rather than unplugged activity from four facets: perceived competence, interest, value, and relatedness. The findings also indicated that there is a general construct under this instrument, which is known as intrinsic motivation. The research brings insight to how to enhance students’ intrinsic motivation for computational thinking through programming and unplugged activity. Suggestions to improve instructional design were proposed for both activities based on students’ responses. Furthermore, some issues and corresponding solutions concerning designing self-report instrument for young children were put forward.