A Guide Towards a Definition of Computational Thinking in K-12

Abstract

Computational thinking (CT) has been described as a set of valuable skills for tackling complex problems. To foster CT among K-12 students, different initiatives have been introduced by governmental and non-governmental entities, and numerous studies have been carried out by researchers to define and integrate CT into school curriculum. However, previous studies has shown little agreement among researchers, governmental and non-governmental sectors about a unified CT definition. These dissensions have introduced challenges in formulating a definition for CT at the K-12 level. The absence of a unified definition may increase the challenges for teachers to teach and integrate CT into school curriculum. To foster CT among K-12 students, we introduce a definition and framework for CT. We evaluated 39 articles and extracted the most common elements used in the literature to frame CT definition and describe its elements. Several studies have discussed, as well as investigated, the significance of conceptualizing and comprehending the interaction and dependency relationships among computational objects. However, our literature review discovered that little attention has been dedicated to the concept of dependency in the CT body of knowledge. Based on the literature review, we define CT as the thought process used for solving problems, and it encompasses the elements of problem decomposition, abstraction, and algorithmic thinking. We conjecture the CT definition is missing the element of dependency. In the context of CT, we define dependency as the knowledge of comprehending the interrelationships between different sections of a decomposed problem.