Embodied and Shared Self-Regulation Through Computational Thinking Among Preschoolers

Bibliographic Data

ID22044698
AuthorsX Christine Wang (0000-0001-7247-4035, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, corresponding author), Grace Yaxin Xing (0009-0000-6407-0073, University at Buffalo, State University of New York), Virginia J Flood (0000-0003-1808-9923, University at Buffalo, State University of New York)
Year2025
Volume15
Issue10
Pages1346
Publication date2025-10-11
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEducation Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/educsci15101346
OpenAlexW4415117764
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited35

While existing research highlights a positive association between computational thinking (CT) and self-regulation (SR) skills, limited attention has been given to the embodied and social processes within CT activities that support young children’s executive functions (EFs)—key components of SR. This study investigates how preschoolers develop basic and higher-order EFs, such as focused attention, inhibitory control, causal reasoning, and problem-solving, through their engagement with a tangible programming toy in teacher-guided small groups in a university-affiliated preschool. Informed by a we-syntonicity framework that integrates Papert’s concepts of body/ego syntonicity and Schutz’s “we-relationship”, we conducted a multimodal microanalysis of video-recorded group sessions. Our analysis focuses on two sessions, the “Obstacle Challenge” and “Conditionals”, featuring four excerpts. Findings reveal that children leverage bodily knowledge and empathy toward the toy—named Rapunzel—to sustain attention, manage impulses, reason about cause-effect, and collaborate on problem-solving. Three agents shape these processes: the toy, fostering collective engagement; the teacher, scaffolding learning and emotional regulation; and the children, coordinating actions and sharing affective responses. These findings challenge traditional views of SR as an individual cognitive activity, framing it instead as an embodied, social, and situated practice. This study underscores the importance of collaborative CT activities in fostering SR during early childhood

Cognition · Embodied cognition · Empathy · Metacognition · Situated · Situated cognition · Social cognition · Child and Animal Learning Development · Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods · Teaching and Learning Programming

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Open DOIOpen Access