Learning with Computational Toys and Kits

 

Team members: Junnan Yu, Andrea DeVero, Chenke Bai, Ricarose Roque

As more education researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders have recognized the importance of helping young people cultivate computational thinking, we explore (1) the computational toys and kits designed to support young children’s computational learning in this project and (2) how parents support their children’s learning with these kits at home. First, we performed a review of computational toys and kits that enable young children to explore computational ideas and practices. We collected 30 computational kits and conducted a content analysis of these kits. We examined the kits across four perspectives: how they are designed, how they support children to explore computational concepts and practices, how they enable children to engage in a range of projects and activities, and how they enable children to explore other domains of knowledge. This review reveals the commonalities across existing kits and highlights ways for designers and researchers to expand the possibilities for children to create, explore, and play with computing.

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Second, we performed semi-structured interviews with eighteen parents who obtained coding kits for their young children for home use. The results show parents expected their kids to have fun and meaningful interactions with the kits. In supporting the play, parents took on various roles, mostly acting as a spectator, scaffolder, and teacher. While parents perceived benefits of coding kits like a changed perspective on coding, they also reported concerns, such as their limited programming knowledge to provide help. We further reflect on design and research implications to develop coding kits that consider parents’ perspectives and important roles in supporting young children’s exploration with computational thinking.

Relevant publications