Preliminary Study on Fostering Computational Thinking by Constructing a Cognitive Model

Abstract

Recent research on education has paid much attention to computational thinking. To foster computational thinking, this study proposes an approach that adopts cognitive modeling of problem solving processes for a production system. Cognitive models for a production system are useful to externalize knowledge used in problem solving processes; thus, these models are expected to make hidden assumptions explicit. We conducted lectures where undergraduate students created cognitive models of a toy problem. Tests to describe the rules necessary in solving this problem were provided to the students. The results indicated that the rules described in the pretests omitted many conditions in the pretests, whereas the presence of the conditions improved in the posttest. Therefore, the effectiveness of cognitive modeling in eliciting and clarifying assumptions in externalizing knowledge in problem solving processes was proved.