Investigating the Impact of an Interdisciplinary Course on Junior High School Student’s Computational Thinking and Learning Effectiveness

Abstract

The study aims to (1) develop an interdisciplinary course for 7th graders and (2) investigate its impact on student’s computational thinking (CT) higher-order thinking disposition (creativity problem-solving communication collaboration and critical thinking) and learning motivation A pretest and posttest quasi-experimental design is implemented over a full semester (20 weeks in total) Four 7th grade information technology classes with a total of 106 students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: (1) two Experimental Groups (Exp: STEAM PBL teaching approach N=54) and (2) two Control Groups (Ctrl: traditional teaching approach N=52) By employing a mixed-methods approach quantitative and qualitative data are systematically collected For the quantitative study the students’ CT higher-order thinking disposition and learning motivation are measured For the qualitative study teacher interview and student focus group interview classroom observation and questionnaire responses are used to evaluate the effectiveness of STEAM PBL in teaching and learning Descriptive analysis independent sample t-test paired sample t-test analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and qualitative analysis are used for evaluating the obtained data Evidence indicates that the STEAM PBL can be exploited as a useful and practical approach Additional research is still needed to get more insights into the effects and consequences of PBL tasks in groups With the promising results of this study we strongly recommend integrating STEAM and PBL elements into an information technology course which serves as a great platform bridging the gap between teaching and learning The innovative education can also help make the students active learners better-prepare them for the sweeping changes of the future Keywords: Computational Thinking (CT) Learning Effectiveness STEAM Education Project-based Learning (PBL)

Date of Award	2020
Original language	English
Supervisor	Hsu-Chan Kuo (Supervisor)