SCRATCH IN TEACHING PROGRAMMING: EFFECT ON PROBLEM SOLVING SKILL AND ATTITUDE

Year 2021, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 63 - 81, 19.06.2021

Rukiye Berna Bala Füsun Gülderen Alacapınar

Abstract

The study seeks to identify the effect of the Scratch program used in the teaching programming language to 6th-grade students on student performance, problem-solving skills, and their attitude towards the course on information technologies and to compile student opinions on its implementation. 22 students took part in the study. The study used pre and post-test single-group experimental design. It took 8 weeks. The first five weeks were allocated activities related to behavior in information and concept building. The last three weeks were for behavior related to practice. Students were asked to develop a project that covers objectives mentioned and of interest to them. Achievement test, problem-solving scale, scale on student attitude towards information technologies course were data collection tools used and an interview form was used to take the opinions of students. At the end of the study, it was observed that the post-test achievement scores of students were higher. It was found that the Scratch program had no statistically significant effect on students’ problem-solving skills while there is an increase in post-test scores related to attitude towards the course. It can be said that student opinions on the use of Scratch in a teaching programming language are in general positive.

Keywords

Attitude, Programming, Problem-solving skill, Scratch

References

• Akpınar, Y., & Altun, A. (2014). Bilgi toplumu okullarında programlama eğitimi ger-eksinimi [The Need for Programming Education in Information Society Schools]. İlköğretim Online [Elementary Education Online], 13 (1), 3. Retrieved from http://ilkogretim-online.org.tr
• Alp, Y. (2019). Blok tabanlı programlama öğretiminin ortaokul öğrencilerinin problem çözme becerisine ve bilgisayara yönelik tutumuna etkisi [The effects of block-based programming on the problem solving ability and attitude towards computer for sec-ondary school students] (Master’s thesis, Inönü University, Malatya, Turkey).
• Avcı, Ü., & Ersoy, H. (2018). Bilgisayar programlama derslerinde öğrenme motivasyonu ölçeğinin Türkçe uyarlaması: geçerlilik ve güvenilirlik çalışması. [The Adaptation of Learning Motivation in Computer Programming Courses Scale into Turkish: The Study of Validity and Reliability]. Yüksekögretim ve Bilim Dergisi [Journal of Higher Education & Science], 8 (1), 73-81. doi: 10.5961/jhes.2018.249
• Coşar, M. (2013). Problem temelli öğrenme ortamında bilgisayar programlama çalışmalarının akademik başarı, eleştirel düşünme eğilimi ve bilgisayara yönelik tu-tuma etkileri [Effects of computer programming studies on academic success, critical thinking skills and programming-based attitudes in problem-based learning environ-ment] (Doctoral dissertation, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey).
• Çam, E. (2019). Robotik destekli programlama eğitiminin problem çözme becerisi, akademik başarı ve motivasyona etkisi [The influence of robotic assisted programming education on problem solving skills, academic success and motivation] (Doctoral dissertation, Sakarya University, Sakarya, Turkey). Retrieved from https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/
• Çatlak, Ş., Tekdal, M., & Baz, F. Ç. (2015). Scratch yazılımı ile programlama öğretiminin durumu: bir doküman inceleme çalışması. [The Status of Teaching Pro-gramming with Scratch: A Document Review Work]. Journal of Instructional Tech-nologies & Teacher Education, 4(3), 13-25.
• Çetin, E. (2012). Bilgisayar programlama eğitiminin çocukların problem çözme becer-ileri üzerine etkisi [The effect of computer programming education on children's problem-solving skills] (Master’s thesis, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey). Retrieved from https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/
• Dinçer, A. (2018). 6.sınıf öğrencilerine Scratch ve Kodu game lab programlama dillerinin öğretiminde öğrencilerin tutum, öz yeterlilik ve akademik başarılarının karşılaştırılması [The comparison of 6th grade students' in terms of attitudes, self-efficacy and academic achievement on teaching of scratch and kodu game lab 'pro-gramming languages] (Master’s thesis, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey). Re-trieved from https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/
• Erol, O. (2015). Scratch ile programlama öğretiminin bilişim teknolojileri öğretmen adaylarının motivasyon ve başarılarına etkisi. [The effects of teaching programming with Scratch on pre-service information technology teachers' motivation and achievements] (Doctoral dissertation, Anadolu University, Eskişehir, Turkey). Re-trieved from https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/
• Ersoy, H., Madran, R. O., & Gülbahar, Y. (2011, February). Programlama dilleri öğretimine bir model önerisi: robot programlama. [A Model Proposed for Teaching Programming Languages: Robotic Programming] Akademik Bilişim, 11. Malatya, Turkey.
• Genç, Z., & Tınmaz, H. (2010). Programlama dilleri dersi içerisinde öğrencilerin prob-lem çözme becerileri ve bilgisayar tutumları değerlendirmesi: Bir Fırat Üniversitesi örneği. [Evaluation of Students’ Problem Solving Skills and Attitude Toward Com-puters in a Programming Course: A Case Study From Fırat University] In Interna-tional Education Technology Conference, IETC. İstanbul, Turkey.
• Genç, Z., & Karakuş, S. (2011).Tasarımla öğrenme: eğitsel bilgisayar oyunları tasarımında Scratch kullanımı. In 5th International Computer & Instructional Tech-nologies Symposium (ICITS), Elazığ, Turkey.
• ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Standards For Students, 2016 (http://www.iste.org/standards/for-students#startstandards).
• Işık, A. D. (2010). Bilişim teknolojileri dersi için oluşturmacı yaklaşım doğrultusunda hazırlanan öğrenme paketinin etkileri [The effects of learning package prepared ac-cording to the constructivist approach on information technologies course] (Doctoral dissertation, Dokuz Eylül University, İzmir, Turkey). Retrieved from https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/
• Kalelioğlu, F., & Gülbahar, Y. (2014). The effects of teaching programming via Scratch on problem-solving skills: a discussion from learners' perspective. Informatics in Education. Informatics in Education, 13 (1), 33–50. Retrieved from https://www.mii.lt/informatics_in_education/pdf/infe232.pdf
• Kardaş, N., Anagün, Ş. S., & Yalçınoğlu, P. (2014). Problem çözme envanterini ilköğretim öğrencilerine uyarlama çalışması: doğrulayıcı faktör analizi sonuçları [Ad-aptation of problem solving inventory for the elemantary school students: confirmato-ry factor analysis]. Elektronik Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi [Electronic Journal of Social Sciences] 13 (51), 182-194. Retrieved from http://dergipark.gov.tr/download/article-file/70583
• Korkmaz, Ö. (2016). The effects of Scratch-based game activities on students' attitudes, self-efficacy, and academic achievement. International Journal of Modern Education & Computer Science, 8 (1), 16-23. DOI: 10.5815/ijmecs.2016.01.03
• Korkmaz, Ö. (2018). The effect of Scratch- and Lego Mindstorms Ev3-Based programming activities on academic achievement, problem-solving skills, and logical-mathematical thinking skills of students. MOJES: Malaysian Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 4 (3), 73-88. Retrieved from https://mojes.um.edu.my/article/view/12658
• Maloney, J., Resnick, M., Rusk, N., Silverman, B., & Eastmond, E. (2010). The Scratch programming language and environment. ACM Transactions on Computing Educa-tion, 10 (4), 16. http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1868358.1868363.
• Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1984). Qualitative Data Analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Sage.
• Ministry of National Education. (2012). Ortaokul ve imam hatip ortaokulu bilişim teknolojileri ve yazılım dersi öğretim programı [Secondary school and imam hatip secondary school information technologies and software course teaching program]. Ankara, Turkey: Talim Terbiye Kurulu Başkanlığı.
• Ministry of National Education. Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı. (2018). Bilişim teknolojileri ve yazılım dersi öğretim programı. [Information technologies and software course teach-ing program]. Ankara, Turkey: Talim Terbiye Kurulu Başkanlığı.
• Nam, D., Kim, Y., & Lee, T. (2010). The effects of scaffolding-based courseware for the Scratch programming learning on student problem-solving skill. Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Computers in Education, 723-727, Putrajaya, Malaysia.
• Ouahbi, I., Kaddari, F., Darhmaoui, H., Elachqar, A., & Lahmine, S. (2015). Learning basic programming concepts by creating games with a Scratch programming environment. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 191, 1479-1482. DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.04.224
• Ozoran, D., Cagiltay, N., & Topalli, D. (2012). Using Scratch in the introduction to programming course for engineering students. In 2nd International Engineering Edu-cation Conference, 125-132.
• Özer, F. (2019). Kodlama eğitiminde robot kullanımının ortaokul öğrencilerinin erişi, motivasyon ve problem çözme becerilerine etkisi [Effect of using robotics in teaching coding on achievement, motivation and problem solving skills of middle school stu-dents] (Master’s thesis, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey). Retrieved from https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/
• Resnick, M., Maloney, J., Monroy-Hernández, A., Rusk, N., Eastmond, E., Brennan, K., & Kafai, Y. (2009). Scratch: programming for all. Communications of the ACM, 52 (11), 60-67. doi:10.1145/1592761.1592779
• Sayın, Z. (2017). Bilgisayar bilimi eğitimi kapsamı [Computer science education scope]. Y. Gülbahar (Ed.), Bilgi işlemsel düşünmeden programlamaya [From computational thinking to programming] (pp. 13-141). Ankara, Turkey: Pegem Akademi.
• Sönmez, V., & Alacapınar, F. G. (2014). Örneklendirilmiş bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri [Sampled scientific research methods ] (3. Baskı) Ankara, Turkey: Anı Yayıncılık.
• Şahin, Ç. (2004). Problem çözme becerisinin temel felsefesi. Kazım Karabekir Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 10.
• Şimşek, İ. (2018). Dünyada programlama öğretimi [Programming teaching in the world]. In Y. Gülbahar ve H. Karal (Ed.), Kuramdan uygulamaya programlama öğretimi [Teaching programming from theory to practice] (pp. 38-65). Ankara, Turkey: Pegem Akademi.
• Utting, I., Cooper, S., Kölling, M., Maloney, J., & Resnick, M. (2010). Alice, Greenfoot, and Scratch--a discussion. ACM Transactions on Computing Education, 10 (4), 17. https://doi.org/10.1145/1868358.1868364
• Yükseltürk, E,. & Altıok, S. (2015). Bilişim teknolojileri öğretmen adaylarının bilgisayar programlama öğretimine yönelik görüşleri [Pre-Service Information Technologies Teachers' Views on Computer Programming Teaching]. Amasya Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi [Amasya Education Journal], 4 (1), 50-65.
• Yükseltürk, E., & Altıok, S. (2016). Bilişim teknolojileri öğretmen adaylarının pro-gramlama öğretiminde Scratch aracının kullanımına ilişkin algıları [Pre-Service In-formation Technology Teachers` Perceptions about Using Scratch Tool in Teaching Programming]. Mersin Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi [Mersin University Journal of the Faculty of Education], 12 (1), 39-52.