Background and Context: There is a need for early childhood assessments of computational thinking (CT). However, there is not consensus on a guiding framework, definition, or set of proxies in which to measure CT. We are addressing this problem by using Evidence Centered Design (ECD) to develop an assessment of kindergarten-aged children’s CT. Objective: To present a design case on the development of the assessment, specifically the algorithmic thinking (AT) tasks and to share validity evidence that emerged. Method: We focus on the AT sub-component of CT and present the principled assessment design process using ECD. Findings: Our operationalization of CT includes spatial reasoning as a sub-component. Pilot results showed an acceptable internal consistency reliability for the AT items and critical design decisions that contributed to validity evidence. Implications: An important contribution of this work is the inclusion of spatial reasoning in our definition of early childhood CT.

This systematic review presents a definition for digital games within the second/foreign language (L2) learning research field. This definition is used to identify games used in research in the last five years (2012-2017). Forty-nine studies were identified and then summarized by type of research, game genre employed, age, and size of sample populations, and focus of research (vocabulary acquisition, student perspectives, etc.). Next, the research is synthesized by the L2 aspects investigated in each study. Finally, in the discussion section the L2 gaming research field is evaluated and suggestions for future endeavors are provided.

ABSRACT The purpose of this study was to explore how kindergarten students (aged 5–6 years) engaged with mathematics as they learned programming with robot coding toys. We video-recorded 16 teaching sessions of kindergarten students’ (N = 36) mathematical and programming activities. Students worked in small groups (4–5 students) with robot coding toys on the floor in their classrooms, solving tasks that involved programming these toys to move to various locations on a grid. Drawing on a semiotic mediation perspective, we analyzed video data to identify the mathematics concepts and skills students demonstrated and the overlapping mathematics-programming knowledge exhibited by the students during these programming tasks. We found that kindergarten children used spatial, measurement, and number knowledge, and the design of the tasks, affordances of the robots, and types of programming knowledge influenced how the students engaged with mathematics. The paper concludes with a discussion about the intersections of mathematics and programming knowledge in early childhood, and how programming robot toys elicited opportunities for students to engage with mathematics in dynamic and interconnected ways, thus creating an entry point to reassert mathematics beyond the traditional school content and curriculum.

Stereotypes people hold about computer scientists contribute to underrepresentation in computer science. Perceptions of computer scientists have historically been linked to males and a “nerd” culture, which can lead to lack of interest, particularly for girls. This article presents two studies conducted with two groups of middle schoolers: those who attended our programming camp (Study One) and those who did not (Study Two). After analyzing participants’ drawings and two survey questions we found that perceptions youth holds about computer scientists may be improving. Additionally, we found that males (versus females) and those youth who did not attend our camp (versus those who did) tended to have more stereotypical perceptions of computer scientists. With this article, we contribute to the literature on CS stereotypes by examining both positive and negative representations youth had about computer scientists. We also cast light on the lack of awareness about this profession among the youth of this age.