Computational Thinking, Programming Self-Efficacy, Problem Solving and Experiences in the Programming Process Conducted with Robotic Activities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the skill levels of secondary school studentsregarding computational thinking, programming self-efficacy and reflective thinking aimedat problem solving and examine their experiences in the programming training process onrobotic activities. Toward this purpose, a 10-week application was conducted with 55students from 6th and 7th grades who received education at a secondary school in WesternBlack Sea region of Turkey during the school year of 2017-2018. The study was conductedusing the mixed model and various scales in the quantitative dimension. On the other hand,a semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers was applied in thequalitative dimension. As a result, it was found out that students’ computational thinkingskills, programming self-efficacy and reflective thinking aimed at problem solving weremoderate. Students’ levels of computational thinking and programming self-efficacy wereobserved to differ depending on their grade levels. In addition, a positive and moderaterelationship was found among the levels of computational thinking, programming selfefficacy and reflective thinking aimed at problem solving.