Computational Thinking : Experiences of Rural Pupils in Sarawak Primary School

Computational thinking (CT) is one of the cognitive processes involved in STEM learning which human use in problem-solving to provide computational solutions that humans and machines can support. It has been denoted as a universal skill needed for everyone to learn in life, starting from a young age...

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Main Author:	Nur Hasheena, Anuar
Format:	Thesis
Language:	English English
Published:	2021
Subjects:	L Education (General) LB Theory and practice of education LB1501 Primary Education
Online Access:	http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/35240/1/Nur%20Hasheena%20Binti%20Anuar%20-%2024%20pgs.pdf http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/35240/9/Nur%20Hasheena%20%20ft.pdf
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spelling	my-unimas-ir.352402024-06-27T01:09:31Z Computational Thinking : Experiences of Rural Pupils in Sarawak Primary School 2021-05-09 Nur Hasheena, Anuar L Education (General) LB Theory and practice of education LB1501 Primary Education Computational thinking (CT) is one of the cognitive processes involved in STEM learning which human use in problem-solving to provide computational solutions that humans and machines can support. It has been denoted as a universal skill needed for everyone to learn in life, starting from a young age. However, computational thinking term and the underlying skills still poorly understood and underestimated by teachers and pupils, especially in isolated primary schools at Sarawak. The study aims to identify the effective pedagogical approaches in learning Computational Thinking skills and address the needs and challenges faced in implementing Computational Thinking in a rural primary school in Sarawak. It involved 22 participants with 11 boys and 11 girls of Primary 4 and Primary 5 originated from Miri, Sarawak. The samples were chosen through the purposive sampling method. The study employed embedded mixed methods design using a quasi-experimental approach which aims to provide an in-depth understanding of how pupils in remote rural area adapt and process to learning Computational Thinking skills (i.e., abstraction, algorithmic thinking, and decomposition) as well as their attitudes towards computational thinking practices by engaging in an unplugged game-based, art-based, Scratch programming and robotic activities through a revised Computational Thinking pedagogical model. The Computational Thinking results of quantitative data were collected using pre-test and post-test that consisted of five subjective computational thinking items. The descriptive statistics and statistical tests were run using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. The analysis of independent variables was performed using a parametric test of Independent Samples t-test. The qualitative data such as field observation, interview, reflective written responses, and researcher interpretation were qualitatively analysed. The findings indicate that learning new skills such as Computational Thinking skills (i.e., programming skill) is perceived as necessary by teachers and participants in rural school. Based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of computational thinking pedagogical approaches, it can be concluded that computational thinking skills acquired through unplugged, art-integration, tinkering, making, remixing, and robotics approaches have been proven to be effective for primary school pupils at Sarawak at the primary level. Although the quantitative data does not show promising results, the qualitative data can be used to support the learning experiences and knowledge acquired from the learning activities proposed. Scaffold from adults and supportive peers are needed when learning computational thinking skills, especially for beginners. In conclusion, the results of the study provide positive and encouraging evidence on the "learning by doing" approach and the practicality of integrating computational thinking activities in rural schools can help rural school pupils develop Computational Thinking skills. Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, (UNIMAS) 2021-05 Thesis http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/35240/ http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/35240/1/Nur%20Hasheena%20Binti%20Anuar%20-%2024%20pgs.pdf text en public http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/35240/9/Nur%20Hasheena%20%20ft.pdf text en validuser masters Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development
institution	Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
collection	UNIMAS Institutional Repository
language	English English
topic	L Education (General) LB Theory and practice of education LB1501 Primary Education
spellingShingle	L Education (General) LB Theory and practice of education LB1501 Primary Education Nur Hasheena, Anuar Computational Thinking : Experiences of Rural Pupils in Sarawak Primary School
description	Computational thinking (CT) is one of the cognitive processes involved in STEM learning which human use in problem-solving to provide computational solutions that humans and machines can support. It has been denoted as a universal skill needed for everyone to learn in life, starting from a young age. However, computational thinking term and the underlying skills still poorly understood and underestimated by teachers and pupils, especially in isolated primary schools at Sarawak. The study aims to identify the effective pedagogical approaches in learning Computational Thinking skills and address the needs and challenges faced in implementing Computational Thinking in a rural primary school in Sarawak. It involved 22 participants with 11 boys and 11 girls of Primary 4 and Primary 5 originated from Miri, Sarawak. The samples were chosen through the purposive sampling method. The study employed embedded mixed methods design using a quasi-experimental approach which aims to provide an in-depth understanding of how pupils in remote rural area adapt and process to learning Computational Thinking skills (i.e., abstraction, algorithmic thinking, and decomposition) as well as their attitudes towards computational thinking practices by engaging in an unplugged game-based, art-based, Scratch programming and robotic activities through a revised Computational Thinking pedagogical model. The Computational Thinking results of quantitative data were collected using pre-test and post-test that consisted of five subjective computational thinking items. The descriptive statistics and statistical tests were run using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. The analysis of independent variables was performed using a parametric test of Independent Samples t-test. The qualitative data such as field observation, interview, reflective written responses, and researcher interpretation were qualitatively analysed. The findings indicate that learning new skills such as Computational Thinking skills (i.e., programming skill) is perceived as necessary by teachers and participants in rural school. Based on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of computational thinking pedagogical approaches, it can be concluded that computational thinking skills acquired through unplugged, art-integration, tinkering, making, remixing, and robotics approaches have been proven to be effective for primary school pupils at Sarawak at the primary level. Although the quantitative data does not show promising results, the qualitative data can be used to support the learning experiences and knowledge acquired from the learning activities proposed. Scaffold from adults and supportive peers are needed when learning computational thinking skills, especially for beginners. In conclusion, the results of the study provide positive and encouraging evidence on the "learning by doing" approach and the practicality of integrating computational thinking activities in rural schools can help rural school pupils develop Computational Thinking skills.
format	Thesis
qualification_level	Master's degree
author	Nur Hasheena, Anuar
author_facet	Nur Hasheena, Anuar
author_sort	Nur Hasheena, Anuar
title	Computational Thinking : Experiences of Rural Pupils in Sarawak Primary School
title_short	Computational Thinking : Experiences of Rural Pupils in Sarawak Primary School
title_full	Computational Thinking : Experiences of Rural Pupils in Sarawak Primary School
title_fullStr	Computational Thinking : Experiences of Rural Pupils in Sarawak Primary School
title_full_unstemmed	Computational Thinking : Experiences of Rural Pupils in Sarawak Primary School
title_sort	computational thinking : experiences of rural pupils in sarawak primary school
granting_institution	Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
granting_department	Faculty of Cognitive Sciences and Human Development
publishDate	2021
url	http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/35240/1/Nur%20Hasheena%20Binti%20Anuar%20-%2024%20pgs.pdf http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/35240/9/Nur%20Hasheena%20%20ft.pdf
_version_	1804888409564512256

Computational Thinking : Experiences of Rural Pupils in Sarawak Primary School

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