Effects on Fostering Computational Thinking by Externalizing a Solution with Construction of a Problem-Solving Model

Abstract

Literature on education has paid considerable attention to computational thinking (CT), thought processes involved in formulating problems and their solutions so that the solutions are represented in a form that can be effectively carried out by an information-processing agent. Many attempts to develop CT in problem-solving education have been made in K-12 education. This study proposes an approach to foster CT in curricula for general undergraduate students: students construct rule-based computational models of problem solving. We empirically investigated effects of construction of a rule-based model on externalizing a solution in problem-solving in terms of problem decomposition, one aspect of CT. Undergraduate students described knowledge required to solve a simple problem in the format of rule-based models before and after they constructed models of the problem for a production system. Results indicate that model construction improved student decomposition in knowledge externalization of the solution.