Unplugged coding in early childhood
Problem-solving strategies across task-based activities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21348522 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Tuğba Abanoz (0000-0001-8905-4002, Ankara University, corresponding author), Fılız Kalelıoğlu (0000-0002-7729-5674, Başkent University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-16 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-10 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Educational Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-0671 • E-ISSN: 1940-0675 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00220671.2026.2667931 |
| OpenAlex | W7160847126 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 39 |
Early computational thinking plays an increasingly important role in supporting young children’s problem-solving and cognitive flexibility in a technology-rich learning environment. This study explores the problem-solving strategies used by 50 children (aged 5–6) during unplugged algorithm and debugging tasks, examining variations by task type and gender through a mixed-method design. Findings show that children employing more strategies achieved higher scores on both tasks. Post hoc comparisons revealed significant differences between children using no strategies and those using at least one, as well as between those using one strategy and those using three or more. No significant gender differences emerged in strategy use or performance. Strategies such as visualizing, questioning, fix-up techniques, and commenting were linked to higher scores, while not using strategies related to lower performance. Results emphasize the importance of fostering diverse strategy use in early computational thinking and suggest strategy diversity may indicate cognitive flexibility. Overall, young children’s problem-solving was more influenced by strategy use and scaffolding than gender
Coding (social sciences) · Encoding (memory) · Identification (biology) · Key (lock) · Child and Animal Learning Development · Early Childhood Education and Development · Innovative Education and Learning Practices
Exploring the nature of cognitive flexibility
Computational thinking and thinking about computing
Computational thinking and tinkering
Scaffolding in Teacher–Student Interaction
FactoMineR
How Do Elementary Students Apply Debugging Strategies in a Block-Based Programming Environment
Pathways to inclusive early childhood computational thinking education
Developing young children's computational thinking with educational robotics
The cognitive effects of computational thinking
The think aloud method
Determinants of Dyadic Scaffolding and Cognitive Outcomes in First Graders
Computational thinking in early childhood education
Gender equity and motivational readiness for computational thinking in early childhood
Preschoolers’ strategies for solving visual pattern tasks
Beyond computing
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |