The Effects of Scratch Software on Students’ Computational Thinking Skills

Year 2017, Volume: 11 Issue: 2, 502 - 517, 18.12.2017

Eyup Yünkül , Gürhan Durak , Serkan Çankaya , Zeynel Abidin Mısırlı

https://doi.org/10.17522/balikesirnef.373424

Cited By: 21

Abstract

The aim of
this study is to determine the correlation between the scores of the
computational thinking skills scale (CTSS) and the achievements of students’
who took the Scratch programming education given within the scope of the
course, Information & Communication Technology and Software and to
investigate the effect of scratch education on the CTSS scores. In this
quantitative study, the CTSS scores, the cumulative grade point averages (CGPA)
of the students and the exam scores of the course were used. Before the
experimental process, the CGPA scores of the 69 students were compared with
t-test in two secondary schools in Balıkesir. It was found that students in two
different schools have similar CGPAs. Scratch education was given to the
students in the first school for a semester within the scope a course. At the
end of the semester the CTSS was applied in two schools and it was found that
students in the first school who were given scratch education had significantly
higher scores in CTSS than the scores of students in the second schools who
were not given scratch education. At this point, it can be assumed that Scratch
education had a positive effect in the problem solving, algorithmic thinking
and creative thinking skills which were dimensions of the CTSS. Besides, exam
scores and CTSS scores of students in the experimental group were compared and
it was found that there was a high level correlation between them. Accordingly,
it can be said that students who are good at computational thinking skills are
also good at programing. When the high scores of students in both CTSS and exam
of the course was considered, it is important to disseminate the scratch
education in K12 level.

Keywords

Computational thinking, algorithmic thinking, scratch

Scratch Yazılımının Öğrencilerin Bilgisayarca Düşünme Becerilerine Etkisi

Abstract

Bu çalışmada, Scratch eğitimi alan öğrencilerin
Bilgisayarca Düşünme Becerileri Ölçeği (BDBÖ) puanları ile bilişim
teknolojileri ve yazılım dersine ait başarı puanları arasındaki ilişkinin
belirlenmesi ve scratch eğitiminin BDBÖ puanları üzerindeki etkisinin
incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Nicel araştırma yönteminin kullanıldığı araştırmada
veri olarak BDBÖ puanları, derse ait başarı puanları ve öğrencilerin ağırlıklı
genel not ortalamaları kullanılmıştır. Deney öncesi işlemde Balıkesir ilinde
yer alan iki farklı okuldaki toplam 69 öğrencinin akademik başarı puanları
alınmış ve t-testi ile karşılaştırılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular bu iki
sınıftaki öğrencilerin birbirine denk puanlarda olduğu yönündedir. Birinci
sınıfta (deney grubu) bir dönem boyunca scratch eğitimi verilmiştir. Dönem
sonunda her iki sınıfta yer alan öğrencilere BDBÖ uygulanmış ve elde edilen
verilerden scratch eğitimi alan öğrencilerin daha yüksek BDBÖ puanlarına
ulaştıkları görülmüştür. Bu noktadan yola çıkıldığında, Scratch kullanımının
problem çözme, algoritmik düşünce ve yaratıcı düşünme becerileri üzerinde
anlamlı bir etkisi olduğu sonucuna varılabilir. Aynı zamanda deney grubunda yer
alan bu öğrencilerin derse ait başarı puanları ile BDBÖ’ne ait puanları
arasındaki ilişki incelenmiştir. Ortaya çıkan bulgular yüksek düzeyde ilişkinin
olduğu sonucunu ortaya çıkarmıştır. Dolayısıyla bilgisayarca düşünme becerileri
yüksek olan öğrencilerin programlama konusunda daha başarılı oldukları
söylenebilir. Deney grubunda yer alan öğrencilerin BDBÖ puanları ve derse ait
başarı puanlarında olumlu sonuçlar alındığı düşünüldüğünde scratch eğitiminin
K12 düzeyinde yaygınlaştırılması önem arz etmektedir.

Keywords

Bilgisayarca düşünme, algoritmik düşünme, scratch

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