Improving on Guidance in a Gaming Environment to Foster Computational Thinking

Abstract

The application of newly introduced computational constructs is challenging for learners when they start programming from scratch. Basic code examples can be used and modified to help learners explore these constructs in order to enable a seamless transition to creating their own programming code. This paper presents a redesign of the game-based learning environment ctGameStudio to address this issue. The existing level structure is enhanced using implicit and explicit scaffolds to support the learning process with respect to computational thinking competences. The redesign of ctGameStudio has been evaluated in a study with eleven students in a pre-posttest scenario by measuring the learning gain and the learning progression. In comparison to a previous study with 40 students, we could show that students apply newly introduced computational constructs better if they were supported by the proposed scaffolds.