Computational thinking involves a set of higher order cognitive abilities, such as the ability (1) to analyze problems and decompose them in smaller parts; (2) to plan a sequence of steps or instructions for the solution of each sub-problem, intended for the execution by either a computer or a human agent; (3) to recognize errors in the solution, and fix them (i.e., debugging); (4) to generalize or apply the problem-solving strategies learnt to different contexts and other kinds of problem-solving tasks. We are interested in investigating how the introduction of computational thinking in the school curriculum affects the development of cognitive functions and problem solving abilities in children and adolescents. We are also interested in examining gender differences in computational thinking across the school years.
Publications
Montuori, C., Gambarota, F., Altoè, G., & Arfé, B. (2024) The Cognitive Effects of Computational Thinking: A systematic Review and Meta-analytic Study. Computers & Education, 210, 104961. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104961
Pozzan, G., Padova, C., Montuori, C., Arfé, B., & Vardanega, T. (2024). Experimental Analysis of First-Grade Students’ Block-Based Programming Problem Solving Processes. Proceedings of the 2024 on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 1 (ITiCSE 2024). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 143–149. https://doi.org/10.1145/3649217.3653586
Montuori, C., Pozzan, G., Padova, C., Ronconi, L., Vardanega, T., & Arfé, B. (2023). Combined Unplugged and Educational Robotics Training to Promote Computational Thinking and Cognitive Abilities in Preschoolers. Education Science, 13, 858. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13090858
Montuori C., Ronconi L., Vardanega T., & Arfé B. (2022). Exploring Gender Differences in Coding at the Beginning of Primary School. Frontiers in Psychology. 13, 887280. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.887280. PMID: 36211854; PMCID: PMC9533774
Arfé, B., Vardanega, T., & Ronconi, L. (2020). The effects of coding on children’s planning and inhibition skills. Computers & Education, 148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2020.103807
Arfé, B., Vardanega, T., Montuori, C., & Valanga, M. (2019). Coding in primary grades boosts children’s executive functions. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, Article 2713. https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/2Ffpsyg.2019.02713
Arfé, B., & Vardanega, T. (2019). Imparare a ragionare: Il ruolo del pensiero computazionale a scuola. Giornale Italiano di Psicologia, 46(4), pp. 765-769.
