TY - JOUR
T1 - Coding with me: exploring the effect of coding intervention on preschoolers’ cognitive skills
AU - Peretti, Giulia
AU - Villani, Daniela
AU - Marangi, Michele
AU - Pelizzari, Federica
AU - Di Bruno, Sara
AU - Guida, Igor
AU - Marchetti, Antonella
AU - Riva, Giuseppe
AU - Rivoltella, Pier Cesare
AU - Massaro, Davide
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - In the last ten years, the topic of Computational Thinking (CT) has been gaining increasing attention from researchers in the education field. Starting from kindergarten, increasingly programming activities such as coding and educational robotics are proposed to enhance CT and some cognitive skills, such as problem- solving, spatial and reasoning skills. The most commonly used tools are the so- called tangible interfaces, such as floor-robots (e.g. Cubetto, Bee and Blue-Bot and others), through which children can interact with the object and learn playfully. Investigating the effects of CT activities on children's cognitive abilities is important to understand the impact in kindergarten and to comprehend in which developmental periods these activities might be most successful. The aim of the present study is that of evaluating the effect of a coding intervention, based on CT, through the use of the Cubetto robot, on the cognitive skills of 4-years-old children. The coding intervention included three sessions and required the manipulation of physical objects to plan and conduct a Cubetto journey. Results showed that children of the experimental group performed better than those of the control group in programming the Cubetto path after the intervention.
AB - In the last ten years, the topic of Computational Thinking (CT) has been gaining increasing attention from researchers in the education field. Starting from kindergarten, increasingly programming activities such as coding and educational robotics are proposed to enhance CT and some cognitive skills, such as problem- solving, spatial and reasoning skills. The most commonly used tools are the so- called tangible interfaces, such as floor-robots (e.g. Cubetto, Bee and Blue-Bot and others), through which children can interact with the object and learn playfully. Investigating the effects of CT activities on children's cognitive abilities is important to understand the impact in kindergarten and to comprehend in which developmental periods these activities might be most successful. The aim of the present study is that of evaluating the effect of a coding intervention, based on CT, through the use of the Cubetto robot, on the cognitive skills of 4-years-old children. The coding intervention included three sessions and required the manipulation of physical objects to plan and conduct a Cubetto journey. Results showed that children of the experimental group performed better than those of the control group in programming the Cubetto path after the intervention.
KW - Coding
KW - Computational Thinking
KW - cognitive skills
KW - educational robotic
KW - Coding
KW - Computational Thinking
KW - cognitive skills
KW - educational robotic
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/200867
M3 - Article
SN - 1554-8716
VL - 18
SP - 153
EP - 156
JO - Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine
JF - Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine
ER -