Computational thinking test for lower primary students: Design principles, content validation, and pilot testing

Abstract

Computational Thinking (CT) is an essential skill in digital society. With the growing momentum in integrating CT into K-12 education, a higher need can be seen in developing proper assessment tools to measure what students have learned about CT. Although numerous attempts have been made to design CT assessment tools, there is a scarcity of well-validated tests for summative assessment aimed at lower primary students. To bridge this gap, we designed the Computational Thinking Test for Lower Primacy (CTt-LP), targeting students aged 6–8. This study presents the test design, content validation, and pilot testing. For test design, Evidence-Centered Design (ECD) was applied, and four constructs were selected. A total of 30 items were designed, after which content validation was performed via expert judgement and cognitive interviews with students. Revisions were made based on the validation results. The pilot testing was conducted in a public primary school in northern China, with 72 participants from Grade 2. Results indicate that the test is balanced regarding the difficulty level for the target group. Item analysis was conducted for each item, based on which decisions about the refinement of the test were made. Directions for future research are discussed.