Khanh Pham
1
AIP 197 – Assignment #1: Literature Review
Games have been developed and show to be effective in fostering CT skills in K-12 students.
There have been various studies that assess computational thinking skills. One of which reliably
found six main factors for the CT scale: creativity, algorithmic thinking, critical thinking,
problem solving, communication skills, and cooperativity (Korkmaz et al., 2017). The interesting
finding on cooperativity led me to explore the effectivenss of games in fostering CT skills.
I hypothesize that CT games that focus on collaboration rather than competition are more
effective in fostering computational thinking (CT) skills in K-12 students. To test this
hypothesis, I compare the findings of various academic papers concerning the effectiveness of
certain CT games.
Firstly, the research by Zhao and Shute (2019) focusing on a video game called Penguin Go. By
randomly assigning 69 eighth-grade students to either a version with constraints or one without
constraints, the study is able to draw reliable conclusions. It found that the students’ CT skills
significantly improved and the constraints did not affect the level of learning but negatively
affected students’ attitudes toward Computer Science (Zhao & Shute, 2019). This study is
significant not only because it is a randomized controlled, but also because it shows that CT
skills can be fostered through video games.
Secondly is a study conducted by Tsavara et al. (2018) on an experimented-created CT board
game called Crabs and Turtles, which consists of three parts designed for eight to nine-yearolds—two are competitive and one is collaborative. Written for an academic audience, the study
seeks to determine whether Crabs and Turtles accurately teaches and measures CT skills in
children. This study is significant because it finds that CT skills can also be fostered through
board games.
Third is a study by Apostolellis et al. (2014) about a board game designed for children ages six
to ten with a competitive version and a collaborative version. The results of the assessment
showed that social interactions—specifically the freedom to question one another and the right to
trial and error—is important to learning and improving CT skills (Apostolellis et al., 2014).
Khanh Pham
2
These findings are significant because the theoretical framework of the collaborative version
aligns with that of cooperativity as defined by Korkmaz et al. (2017).
Fourth is a study conducted by Turchi et al. (2019) on an experimenter-created video game
called TAPASPlay. The researchers hypothesized that video games foster CT more effectively
through collaboration rather than competition between users. They tested 18 fifteen-year-old
female students who were randomly assigned to either play the game individually or play in a
team (Turchi et al., 2019). The study found that learning CT is most effective through
playfulness and collaboration. These findings are significant because the design is a randomized
controlled trial with results supporting my hypothesis, although the sample is very small.
Lastly is one of many research studies done on the Bebras Challenge, which is a CT game made
of various tasks, designed for K-12 students all over the world who are classified into one of six
categories depending on their age. This challenge is an individual effort and is considered a
competition among students, schools, and countries. Written for an academic audience, this study
by Araujo et al. (2019) found that the Bebras Challenge is effective in teaching and practicing
CT skills and basic Computer Science concepts. This study is significant not only because it
matches the positive conclusions of other research on this challenge, but also it shows that games
with a competitive nature are also effective in fostering CT skills in K-12 students.
More data is needed to better compare and analyze the effects of collaboration and of
competition in games on CT skills; perhaps making direct comparisons in one single study rather
than a meta-analysis of various studies. Future research should focus on either video games only
or board games only to eliminate the form of the game as a potential confounding variable.
It is important to know whether there is a significant difference between collaboration and
competition within games on how students learn and gain CT skills because games can become a
hobby while encouraging playful learning. Knowing the effects of games on learning CT can
maximize its effectiveness on students who are interested in Computer Science or programming.
Worrd Count: 711
Khanh Pham
3
References
Apostolellis, P., Stewart, M., Frisina, C., & Kafura, D. (2014). RaBit EscApe: A Board Game for
Computational Thinking. Association for Computing Machinery, 349-352. https://doi.org/
10.1145/2593968.2610489
Araujo, A., Andrade, W., Guerrero, D., & Melo, M. (2019). How Many Abilities Can We
Measure in Computational Thinking?: A Study on Bebras Challenge. Proceedings of the 50th
ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science, 545-551.
https://doi.org/10.1145/3287324.3287405
Korkman, O., Cakir, R., & Yasar Ozden, M. (2017). A validity and reliability study of the
computational thinking scales (CTS). Computers in Human Behavior, (72), 558-569.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.01.005.
Tsarava, K., Moeller, K., & Ninaus, M. (2018). Training Computational Thinking through board
games: The case of Crabs & Turtles. International Journal of Serious Games, 5(2), 25 - 44.
https://doi.org/10.17083/ijsg.v5i2.248
Turchi, T., Fogli, D. & Malizia, A. (2019). Fostering computational thinking through
collaborative game-based learning. Multimed Tools Appl, (78), 13649–13673.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-019-7229-9
Zhao, W. & Shute, V. (2019). Can playing a video game foster computational thinking skills?.
Computers in Human Behavior, (141). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103633.