Mapping Computational Thinking Research in Early Childhood Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Explicitly CT-Labelled Literature

Melike Aslan-Unlu

TR EN

Erken Çocukluk Eğitiminde Bilgi İşlemsel Düşünme Araştırmalarının Haritalanması: Açıkça Bilgi İşlemsel Düşünme Etiketli Literatür Üzerine Bir Bibliyometrik Analiz

Abstract

Amaç: Bilgi işlemsel düşünme (BİD), erken çocukluk eğitimi (EÇE) alanında temel bir yetkinlik olarak giderek daha fazla kabul görmektedir. Araştırmalar artmış olsa da, farklı araştırma trendlerinin EÇE'de BİD’in gelişimini nasıl şekillendirdiğine sınırlı bir ilgi gösterilmiştir. Bu çalışma, EÇE'de BİD araştırmalarının yapısal evrimini incelemek ve literatürde baskın temaları, araştırma eğilimlerini ve yeterince araştırılmamış alanları belirlemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Yöntem: 2011 ile 2025 yılları arasında yayınlanan ve Web of Science Core Collection'da indekslenen 210 makale üzerinde bibliyometrik bir analiz gerçekleştirilmiştir. Biblioshiny kullanılarak, yayın eğilimleri, etkili yazarlar ve tematik yapılar analiz edilerek EÇE'de BİD araştırmalarının entelektüel gelişimi haritalandırılmıştır. Bulgular: Bulgular, 2017 sonrasında BİD araştırmalarında hızlı bir artışa işaret etmekte olup bu durum, alanın niş bir konudan giderek daha fazla tanınan ve gelişmekte olan bir akademik araştırma alanına dönüşümünü yansıtmaktadır. Bununla birlikte, bu artış coğrafi açıdan sınırlı sayıda bölgesel bağlamla kısıtlı kalmaya devam etmektedir. Tematik ve ağ analizleri, pedagojik uygulama çalışmaları ile gelişimsel sonuç odaklı araştırmalar arasında kalıcı bir parçalanma olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Robotik, programlama ve problem çözme baskın temalar olarak ortaya çıkarken, değerlendirme yaklaşımları, öğretmenlerin mesleki gelişimi ve bilgisayarsız pedagojiler nispeten az gelişmiş kalmaktadır. Sonuç: Çalışma, EÇE'de BİD entegrasyonunun dengesizliğine katkıda bulunan yapısal gerilimleri vurgulamakta ve disiplinler arası iş birliğine, öğretmen eğitimine daha fazla önem verilmesine ve gelişimsel açıdan uyumlu pedagojik çerçevelerin oluşturulmasına duyulan ihtiyacın altını çizmektedir.

Keywords

Mapping Computational Thinking Research in Early Childhood Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Explicitly CT-Labelled Literature

Abstract

Purpose: Computational thinking (CT) has increasingly been recognized as a foundational competence within early childhood education (ECE). Although the volume of research has grown, limited attention has been given to how different research traditions shape the development of CT in ECE. This study aims to examine the structural evolution of CT research in ECE and to identify dominant themes, research trends, and underexplored areas in the literature. Method: A bibliometric analysis was conducted on 210 peer-reviewed articles published between 2011 and August 2025 and indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection. Using Biblioshiny, publication trends, influential contributors, and thematic structures were analyzed to map the intellectual development of CT research in ECE. Findings: The findings indicate a rapid increase in CT research after 2017, reflecting its transition from a niche topic to an emerging and increasingly recognized area of scholarly inquiry. However, this growth remains geographically concentrated within a limited number of regional contexts. Thematic and network analyses reveal a persistent fragmentation between pedagogical implementation studies and developmental outcome-oriented research. Robotics, programming, and problem-solving emerge as dominant themes, whereas assessment approaches, teacher professional development, and unplugged pedagogies remain comparatively underdeveloped. Conclusion: The study highlights structural tensions contributing to uneven CT integration in ECE and emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, stronger attention to teacher education, and developmentally aligned pedagogical frameworks. The findings provide a conceptual basis for guiding future research and supporting more coherent integration of CT in ECE contexts.

Keywords

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Basic Training (Other)

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Melike Aslan-Unlu ^*
0000-0003-2260-8589
Türkiye

Publication Date

August 9, 2026

Submission Date

February 14, 2026

Acceptance Date

May 19, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: 4

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA25YP34MG

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Aslan-Unlu, M. (2026). Mapping Computational Thinking Research in Early Childhood Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Explicitly CT-Labelled Literature. Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education, 4, 197-223. https://izlik.org/JA25YP34MG

AMA

1.Aslan-Unlu M. Mapping Computational Thinking Research in Early Childhood Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Explicitly CT-Labelled Literature. BUEFAD. 2026;(4):197-223. https://izlik.org/JA25YP34MG

Chicago

Aslan-Unlu, Melike. 2026. “Mapping Computational Thinking Research in Early Childhood Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Explicitly CT-Labelled Literature”. Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education, nos. 4: 197-223. https://izlik.org/JA25YP34MG.

EndNote

Aslan-Unlu M (August 1, 2026) Mapping Computational Thinking Research in Early Childhood Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Explicitly CT-Labelled Literature. Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education 4 197–223.

IEEE

[1]M. Aslan-Unlu, “Mapping Computational Thinking Research in Early Childhood Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Explicitly CT-Labelled Literature”, BUEFAD, no. 4, pp. 197–223, Aug. 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA25YP34MG

ISNAD

Aslan-Unlu, Melike. “Mapping Computational Thinking Research in Early Childhood Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Explicitly CT-Labelled Literature”. Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education. 4 (August 1, 2026): 197-223. https://izlik.org/JA25YP34MG.

JAMA

1.Aslan-Unlu M. Mapping Computational Thinking Research in Early Childhood Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Explicitly CT-Labelled Literature. BUEFAD. 2026;:197–223.

MLA

Aslan-Unlu, Melike. “Mapping Computational Thinking Research in Early Childhood Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Explicitly CT-Labelled Literature”. Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education, no. 4, Aug. 2026, pp. 197-23, https://izlik.org/JA25YP34MG.

Vancouver

1.Melike Aslan-Unlu. Mapping Computational Thinking Research in Early Childhood Education: A Bibliometric Analysis of Explicitly CT-Labelled Literature. BUEFAD [Internet]. 2026 Aug. 1;(4):197-223. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA25YP34MG

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Report routine scale development or scale adaptation studies that primarily replicate existing instruments or rely solely on standard psychometric validation procedures, without offering conceptual innovation, theoretical advancement, or a clear contribution to the educational research literature.
Fail to engage with recent and relevant international scholarship in the field;
Do not clearly articulate the background, significance, and contribution of the study to the existing body of literature.
In making decisions, BUEFAD values the views of the editorial board, English language editors and the preliminary review reports. A manuscript may be rejected by the editors of the journal before the reviewing process begins.

PUBLICATION ETHICS
Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education makes it obligatory that the authors comply with the national and international ethical principles. In this context, it is kindly asked that the stakeholders comply with the following items:

Responsibilities of the Authors
It should be ensured that the submitted article has content originality, the quotations and citations need be to correctly prepared within the ethical principles.
For the experimental studies which require ethical board approval, conducted on animals or people in all the disciplines (including social science), the ethical board approval must be obtained and presented in the study with the related information.
The names of the authors should not be indicated in any of the process of submission.
The manuscripts should not be submitted to any other journal.
The necessary permits should be obtained when needed.
The determined principles will apply in the case of conflict of interest.
Only the names of the related authors should be included in the submissions, unrelated names should not be included.
The referees may ask for additional information or data, in such cases the authors should provide the referees with the requests.
The authors should not reach the referees with the purpose of affecting any process.

Responsibilities of the Referees
Referees should be objective and conduct the reviews with privacy.
Referees should only accept the studies related to their field.
The review should aim to be constructive and polite and should not include offensive language.
The reviews should only be towards the study and the factors such as; religion, gender, race, ethnicity, political or corporate matters should not influence the outcome of the review.
The submissions accepted for review should be processed within the specified timing and in compliance with the ethical principles.
In the case of conflict of interests, the submission should be rejected and the editor-in-chief should be notified.
The identity of the authors should be reached and the submissions of the authors whose identities are revealed should be rejected.
No information related to the rejected submissions should be shared or made public.

Responsibilities of the Editors
Appointing double blinded referees to the related studies after the submission passes the preliminary review.
The editors should be objective towards all the submissions.
The editors should be responsible in the case of conflict of interest.
The editors should ensure the progress within the specified timing of the process.
The editors should ensure that the processes are realized within the ethical principles.

Ethical Suitability Checklist
Have you obtained the necessary permits for the tools or data taken from other studies?
Have you complied with the rules of the journal while preparing the quotations or the citations of your study?
Have you obtained the necessary permits for the data collection or treatment tools?
Have you informed the participants and take the necessary permissions regarding informing them?
Have you taken precautions to ensure the privacy of the participants?
In the studies which include more than one author, have you prepared the order of the author names appropriately?
If any material or content is used which are subject to copyright, have you taken the necessary permissions?
Have you obtained and presented/indicated in your article the necessary ethical board approval for the studies which are conducted on animals or people?

PUBLICATION POLICIES

1. Bartın University Journal of Faculty Education is an international peer-reviewed journal that publishes scientific articles in the field of education in English. As of March 2026, the journal has adopted a continuous publication model. Under this model, accepted articles are published online once the editorial and production processes are completed, without waiting for a fixed issue publication date. While the journal previously accepted manuscripts in Turkish or English, as of the February 2020 issue, all manuscripts must be submitted in English only.
2. The journal publishes scientific articles which have a general place in the community of research in teaching and come from various areas of research in teaching and related disciplines.
3. Additionally, on the term of not exceeding one per year, a special issue may be published on the current affairs in education and proceedings of the national/international meetings (symposium, convention, conference etc.).
4. Copyright royalties are not paid to the authors of the publications.
5. The manuscripts submitted to the journal are first subject to preliminary review by the Secretariat with respect to writing rules and suitability with the article template, and then forwarded to the Editor-in-Chief, and editors in the related field. The submitted articles are inspected with respect to publication, writing, qualification, content, research and ethical rules. The articles which are found to be not suitable are returned to the author without going through referee review.
6. In line with the criteria determined by TURKISH ACADEMIC NETWORK AND INFORMATION CENTER (ULAKBİM), all authors must present approval of ethics committee for their manuscript.
7. All articles submitted to the journal are reviewed by at least two referees under the principles of double blind refereeing.
8. Articles which are found suitable by the editorial board are sent to at least two field referees. The authors re-send their articles by taking into account the revisions and suggestions stated in the assessment form prepared by the referees. The editorial board make the decision to whether or not publish the articles which are revised. Journal editors have the right to make revisions, -even when the referee process is affirmative- and to make the decision of publishing or not. The articles which are decided to be published are sent back to the original author(s). The responsibility of the errors and writing mistakes belong to the author(s).
9. The authors who would like to withdraw their submission which is in the assessment process are required to notify the demand by e-mail to buefad@bartin.edu.tr. An article which is approved and queued for publication cannot be withdrawn.
10. The editorial board is consulted for determining and updating the publication principles of the journal, and referee assignment process when needed.
11. The submitted articles cannot be published or submitted to be published to anywhere else.
12. Published or not published, the articles cannot be returned.
13. The journal is free of charge and does not require any payment including the submission and publication process.
14. Per author, maximum of one (1) academic research in each issue, and two (2) academic research in a year is allowed to be published.
15. All the articles published in the journal are open access and distributed under the conditions of CommonsAttribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
16. Authors may request to exclude certain referees because of ethical reasons or conflict of interests.
17. Authors may object to the referee reports or editorial decisions. In such cases, the authors are requested to state their reasoning behind the objection. Editors may start a new reviewing process if deemed necessary after an objection.
18. The articles are submitted via the portal on https://dergipark.org.tr/buefad. The articles which are attempted to be submitted otherwise will be disregarded. The referee process will also take place on the same system.
19. All articles submitted must be subject to preliminary review with respect to writing rules and journal template.
20. The authors are obligated to prepare their publications in accordance with APA 7 (American Psychological Association) standards.
21. All publications at BUEFAD are archived in the database of Bartın University Library
22. Authors are free to upload a version of their works to an external open-access platform.
23. BUEFAD Editorial Board and the owner of the journal have the liberty to select the articles to be published in each volume and issue.
PUBLICATION PROCESS
Blind Refereeing
Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education makes use of double blind refereeing method in the review process of the articles. In the double blind refereeing method, the identity of authors and referees are concealed.
Initial Review Process
The articles which are submitted to the journal are first subject to preliminary review of writing rules and journal template suitability by the Secretariat, and then forwarded to the Editor-in-chief with the purpose of referee assignment. The submitted articles which are found to be unsuitable in terms of writing rules, originality, and accordance with the publication principles are returned to their author without a referee review. In the preliminary review, the field/department editors inspect the introduction, literature review, method, findings, results, assessment, and discussion sections of the articles with respect to suitability with the publication principles and content of the journal. The articles which are found ineligible after the review are returned to the author along with the review report prepared by the field editor in maximum of 30 days. The articles which are found to be eligible are taken under referee review.

Plagiarism Inspection

Due to the publication ethics of Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education, every article which went through the “Blind Referee Review Process” has to be re-inspected for plagiarism for the revisions made after the referee requests. Within this context, English of every article goes through plagiarism inspection. The plagiarism inspection is made by intihal.net integrated to Dergipark at the submission process, and then we use Turnitin and assistin.ai software for extra checks. In addition, we check the reference list to prevent reference hallucination. The board makes the final decision in light of the plagiarism inspection report of every article. Revision of the mistakes can be request from the authors or the articles may be returned. The financial responsibilities (if any) occurred within the inspection belong to the author(s). BUEFAD uses Turnitin for plagiarism inspection and the maximum acceptable ratio for plagiarism analysis is 15% for turnitin (a revision may be requested from the authors for up to 20% of similarity).

Referee Review Process
The articles are sent to the referees according to the content and referee speciality. The article which is found to be eligible by the editors is forwarded to at least two referees for review along with a review form. The referees are given 30 days for the review. Within this period, a new referee may be assigned in case the referee does not respond. It is obligatory to fill out the "Revision Template” which is prepared by the referees or the editors containing revisions within 30 days. The referees may decide on the suitability by inspecting the readjustments as well as requesting multiple revisions.
Many factors take role in the selection of referee. Experience, suitability of field, past experiences between the editor and referee are the determining factors.
Author(s) may request to exclude certain referees for the reason of conflict of interests.
The referee list is reviewed and refreshed and published on the index periodically with every issue by the Editors.
The referees are sent refereeing certification after the publication issue which includes the reviewed articles.
Review Results
The feedback received from the referees is examined by the field/department editors in 14 days at the latest. As a result of this examination, the field editor informs the editors of the final evaluation. The editors prepare the editorial board remarks in accordance with the field editor and referee assessments. A new referee may be assigned following the review report; in addition, there may be an approval, revision or rejection decision.
How Long Is The Publication Process?
It is anticipated that the evaluation process of the articles submitted to Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education concludes in 6 months. However, this period of time may extend depending on revision requests, duration of the revisions, and re-evaluation of the articles.
Revision Directions and Uploading Guide
At Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education, one or more revisions may be requested by the field editors and/or referees for the articles in review process. The authors are obligated to apply the requested revisions by using the “Revision Template”. The authors should make the revisions by using “Track changes” feature or by using the red colour on the original document. The authors should upload the documents; (1) revised document with track changes, (2) the “Author Revision Chart” prepared by using the “Revision Template”.
POST-ACCEPTANCE
At Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education, the articles approved after review are gone through; plagiarism re-inspection, reference list organizing, citation control, layout and typesetting, DIO number assignment, respectively.
Language Regulations
The article submitted to Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education are required to be written grammatically and appropriate to the scientific literature, in an explicit and plain manner. The journal board may request proofreading during the review process or after acceptance. The journal board has the claim to not publish articles which are found to be inadequate in terms of compliance with the language and expression rules, even when the review process is affirmative.
Citation and References Control
Due to the publication ethics of Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education, it is obligatory that the citations and references included in the approved articles are correct and thorough. Within this context, the approved articles are gone through citation and reference control. The authors are responsible for carrying out the tasks and procedures assigned by the board. The financial responsibility of the control belong to the author(s). The journal board has the claim to not publish articles which are found to be inadequate in terms of compliance with the references and citations rules even when the review process is affirmative.
Layout and Typesetting Procedure
Due to the publication ethics of Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education, it is obligatory that the articles are prepared in a common typesetting and complete page layout. Within this context, the approved articles are adjusted in terms of page layout and typesetting by the board. The financial responsibility of the control belong to the author(s). The journal board has the claim to not publish articles which are found to be inadequate in terms of compliance with the layout and typesetting rules even when the review process is affirmative.
DOI Number Assignment
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a unique access number which enables the identification and accessibility of each article published electronically. Every article published at Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education is assigned with a DOI number. The articles which went through the reference control and print-ready after the approval process are assigned a DOI number by the board.
Open Access Policy
Bartın University Journal of Faculty of Education adopts the open access principle. In accordance with the open access policy, all issues and articles published in the journal are available on the journal’s website, and the full texts of the articles can be accessed in pdf format without any subscription fee or access barrier.
The journal does not charge any fees (including article processing charges - APC) from authors for manuscript submission, evaluation, or publication. This model is supported by Bartın University Faculty of Education and aims to ensure that scientific studies in the field of education reach the widest possible audience free of charge.
All articles published in the journal are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. This license permits others to use the articles for non-commercial purposes provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and the journal.

Owner

Ahmet AKKAYA

Turkish Education

Editor-in-chief

Mustafa KOCAARSLAN

Education, Classroom Education, Primary Education

Co-editors

Mustafa FIDAN

Education, Curriculum and Instration , Curriculum Evaluation in Education, Instructional Technologies, Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators

Murat DEBBAĞ

Curriculum and Instration , Instructional Technologies

Section Editors

SÖ

S. Burcu ÖZGÜLÜK ÜÇOK

Psychological Counseling and Guidance, Family Counseling, Counselling Psychology

Hatice YILDIZ DURAK

Education, Lifelong learning

Sinan KALKAN

Special Education and Disabled Education, Education for Autistic Children, Mental Disability Education, Autism and Spectrum Disorder Education

RK

Rüveyda KARAMAN DÜNDAR

Mathematics Education

Melihan ÜNLÜ

Mathematics Education

TT

Tayfun TUTAK

Mathematics Education

Zerrin MERCAN

Early Childhood Education

Burcin ACAR SESEN

Chemistry Education, Science Education, STEM Education

Sabrina Shajeen ALAM

Mathematics Education, Learning Sciences, Educational Psychology

Talip GÜLLE

English As A Second Language, Applied Linguistics and Educational Linguistics

Ceren DOĞAN

Fine Arts Education

Ceren MUTLUER

Education, Scale Development, Classroom Measurement Practices, Computer Based Exam Applications, Multicultural Education, Learning Analytics, Statistical Analysis Methods

Seçil Eda ÖZKAYRAN

Education, Education Management, Inspection and Planning

Şule BAŞTEMUR

Psychological Counseling and Guidance, Family Counseling, School Counseling

EJ

Emina JELEŠKOVIĆ

Translation and Interpretation Studies, English As A Second Language, Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators, Other Fields of Education (Other)

Dilek ALTUN

Early Childhood Education

Doğan Can AKÇIN

English As A Second Language, Language Acquisition, Linguistic Structures (Incl. Phonology, Morphology and Syntax), Applied Linguistics and Educational Linguistics

MU

Mahir UĞURLU

Mental Disability Education, Autism and Spectrum Disorder Education

GS

Gökhan SAVAŞ

Education Management, Leadership in Education

Bekir GÜLER

Science Education

Bahar KARAMAN GÜVENÇ

Fine Arts Education, Painting

Beyza AKSU DÜNYA

Measurement Theories and Applications in Education and Psychology, Statistical Analysis Methods, Classical Test Theories, Item Response Theory

AA

Ayça AVCI

Music Education

Barış ÇUKURBAŞI

Video Processing, Computer Aided Design in Visual Communication, Computer Graphics, Serious Games and Simulations, Interactive Narrative, Virtual and Mixed Reality, Digitalization, Augmented Reality, Metaverse, Data Structures and Algorithms, Fairness, Accountability, Transparency, Trust and Ethics of Computer Systems, Instructional Design, Instructional Technologies, Lifelong learning, Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators, Learning Analytics

Ahmet ÇELIK

Management Information Systems, Serious Games and Simulations, Data Management and Data Science (Other), Artificial Intelligence (Other), Instructional Technologies, Educational Technology and Computing, Entrepreneurship

Arzu DERYA TAŞÇI

Curriculum and Instration , Curriculum Development in Education, Learning Theories, Instructional Design, Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators

HK

Hasan Basri KANSIZOĞLU

Turkish and Social Sciences Education, Turkish Education

Kenan ÇETIN

Linguistics, Education

Fatma ÜNAL

Education, Turkish and Social Sciences Education, Social Studies Education

Gürhan BEBEK

Scale Development, Science Education, STEM Education, Development of Science, Technology and Engineering Education and Programs, Special Talented Education

HB

Hatice Cansu BILGIÇ

Special Education and Disabled Education, Multi Disabled Education

NK

Neslihan KÖSE

Curriculum Development in Education, Comparative and Cross-Cultural Education

ES

Esra SÖZER BOZ

Measurement Theories and Applications in Education and Psychology, Scale Development, Cross-Cultural Scale Adaptation, Cross-Cultural Comparisons of Education: International Examinations