Tablets, Very Young Primary School Students, and Basic Programming Concepts

Authors

Keywords:

board game, Kodable, primary school, programming concepts, tablets

Abstract

The study presents the results of a project in which tablets and a ready-made application were used for teaching basic programming concepts to young primary school students (ages 7-9). A total of 135 students participated in the study, attending primary schools in Athens, Greece, divided into three groups. The first was taught conventionally. The second was taught using a board game, while the third was taught using tablets and an application. Students' performance was assessed using evaluation sheets. Data analyses revealed that students in the tablets/application group outperformed students in the other two groups in three out of four tests. Students' views regarding the application were highly positive. The learning outcomes can be attributed to the combination of the application's game-like features and to the tablets' ease of use. On the basis of the results, educators can consider the use of tablets and mobile applications for teaching basic programming concepts to young primary school students. 

Author Biography

Emmanuel Fokides, University of the Aegean

Lecturer, Department of Primary School Education

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Published

2017-06-15

How to Cite

Fokides, E. (2017). Tablets, Very Young Primary School Students, and Basic Programming Concepts. Asian Journal of Education and E-Learning, 5(3). Retrieved from https://ajouronline.com/index.php/AJEEL/article/view/4747

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 3 (2017): June 2017

Section

Articles

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