Effects of computational thinking activity provision on problem-solving skills among preschool students

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study the results of a pre-test and post-test comparison of computational thinking activity provision on problem-solving skills for preschool students. The study was experimental research. The population and sample consisted of 23 early childhood students who were male-female, studying in primary school level 1, and aged 6-7 years at Thawsi School, Bangkok, in the academic year 2019. The research instrument consisted of 24 programs for computational thinking activity provision on problem-solving skills to preschool students. A practical assessment was used to measure problem-solving ability and a problem-solving behavior record form for preschool students. The data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation. The qualitative data were analyzed using content analysis.

The results showed that early childhood students who received computational thinking activity provision had higher average scores on problem-solving skills in the post-experimental period than in the pre-experimental period. In the pre-experimental period, the mean was 40.70 and the standard deviation was 13.85. In the post-experimental period, the mean was 76.87 and the standard deviation was 1.39. The problem-solving skills of preschool students were enhanced through four stages: reviewing results, understanding problems, implementing plans, and planning solutions, respectively.