Dissertation/ Thesis

Exploring the development of computational thinking among pre-service teachers using visual programming: an interventionist case study

Λεπτομέρειες βιβλιογραφικής εγγραφής
Τίτλος: Exploring the development of computational thinking among pre-service teachers using visual programming: an interventionist case study
Συγγραφείς: Sepula, Chikondi
Στοιχεία εκδότη: Rhodes University
Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post School Education
Έτος έκδοσης: 2025
Συλλογή: SEALS Digital Commons (South East Academic Libraries System, South Africa)
Θεματικοί όροι: Computational thinking, Visual programming (Computer science), Sociocultural perspective, Problem solving, Scratch (Computer program language), Student teachers South Africa
Περιγραφή: Due to its cognitive effect on learners, computational thinking (CT) has gained significant attention and has been increasingly integrated into primary and secondary education worldwide. The integration of CT into educational curricula offers several benefits, including improved learning outcomes, enhanced problem-solving abilities, and the development of skills necessary for the digital landscape of the 21st century. Recognizing these benefits, South Africa introduced CT in primary schools in 2023 through a dedicated subject, coding and robotics. However, teacher upskilling remains a major challenge, as many teachers lack the necessary skills to teach this subject effectively. This problem is particularly pronounced at the foundational phase, where delivering similar content to young learners presents additional pedagogical complexities. Thus, this study explored the development of CT skills with visual programming among foundational phase pre-service teachers. Situated within the interpretive paradigm, a qualitative case study methodology was employed, owing to its effectiveness in exploring contextual factors and complexities that influence human experiences. The study involved 49 first-year pre-service teachers in an Introduction to Technology module at Rhodes University. Purposive sampling was used to select the foundational phase pre-service teachers at Rhodes University. Data was collected using CT reflective tool, semi-structured interviews, focus-group discussions, and reflective journals. This study was grounded in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (SCT) to understand and mediate the development of CT through visual programming. It utilized the “Code, Connect, Create” professional development (PD) model as a structured teacher training approach for CT development through visual programming. Additionally, the “Use, Modify, Create” pedagogical model was implemented as a CT framework specific to visual programming to guide and regulate pedagogical decisions during the intervention. Brennan and Resnick’s 3D ...
Τύπος εγγράφου: master thesis
Περιγραφή αρχείου: computer; online resource; application/pdf; 1 online resource (159 pages); pdf
Γλώσσα: English
Relation: https://hdl.handle.net/10962/479996; vital:78387; http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:78387
Διαθεσιμότητα: https://hdl.handle.net/10962/479996
http://vital.seals.ac.za:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/vital:78387
Rights: Sepula, Chikondi ; Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/)
Αριθμός Καταχώρησης: edsbas.E4CCFD74
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  Data: Exploring the development of computational thinking among pre-service teachers using visual programming: an interventionist case study
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Sepula%2C+Chikondi%22">Sepula, Chikondi</searchLink>
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  Data: Rhodes University<br />Faculty of Education, Secondary and Post School Education
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  Data: 2025
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Computational+thinking%22">Computational thinking</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Visual+programming+%28Computer+science%29%22">Visual programming (Computer science)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Sociocultural+perspective%22">Sociocultural perspective</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Problem+solving%22">Problem solving</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Scratch+%28Computer+program+language%29%22">Scratch (Computer program language)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+teachers+South+Africa%22">Student teachers South Africa</searchLink>
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  Data: Due to its cognitive effect on learners, computational thinking (CT) has gained significant attention and has been increasingly integrated into primary and secondary education worldwide. The integration of CT into educational curricula offers several benefits, including improved learning outcomes, enhanced problem-solving abilities, and the development of skills necessary for the digital landscape of the 21st century. Recognizing these benefits, South Africa introduced CT in primary schools in 2023 through a dedicated subject, coding and robotics. However, teacher upskilling remains a major challenge, as many teachers lack the necessary skills to teach this subject effectively. This problem is particularly pronounced at the foundational phase, where delivering similar content to young learners presents additional pedagogical complexities. Thus, this study explored the development of CT skills with visual programming among foundational phase pre-service teachers. Situated within the interpretive paradigm, a qualitative case study methodology was employed, owing to its effectiveness in exploring contextual factors and complexities that influence human experiences. The study involved 49 first-year pre-service teachers in an Introduction to Technology module at Rhodes University. Purposive sampling was used to select the foundational phase pre-service teachers at Rhodes University. Data was collected using CT reflective tool, semi-structured interviews, focus-group discussions, and reflective journals. This study was grounded in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory (SCT) to understand and mediate the development of CT through visual programming. It utilized the “Code, Connect, Create” professional development (PD) model as a structured teacher training approach for CT development through visual programming. Additionally, the “Use, Modify, Create” pedagogical model was implemented as a CT framework specific to visual programming to guide and regulate pedagogical decisions during the intervention. Brennan and Resnick’s 3D ...
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      – SubjectFull: Computational thinking
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      – SubjectFull: Visual programming (Computer science)
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      – SubjectFull: Sociocultural perspective
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      – SubjectFull: Problem solving
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      – SubjectFull: Scratch (Computer program language)
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      – SubjectFull: Student teachers South Africa
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      – TitleFull: Exploring the development of computational thinking among pre-service teachers using visual programming: an interventionist case study
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              Y: 2025
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