Assessing computational thinking practices and engagement : primary teachers' reflections on an unplugged activity

Škrobar, Jakob (author), Flogie, Andrej (author), Lipovec, Alenka (author), Golob, Nika (author)

Developing computational thinking in early primary education has gained increasing attention, with unplugged methods recognised as particularly effective for young learners. However, teachers' assessment of computational thinking, especially through process-oriented approaches, remains underexplored. The present study investigates how the participating Slovenian primary school teachers assessed computational thinking practices and students' engagement during an unplugged activity based on Bebras Challenge tasks. The results show that the teachers most frequently identified algorithmic thinking, pattern recognition and debugging, while decomposition and abstraction were observed less commonly. The activity received high ratings regarding the students' motivation and engagement, which several of the teachers attributed to the fact that it was conducted outdoors and involved physical movement. Collaboration and communication were also positively evaluated, although some teachers noted that competitiveness occasionally distracted the students. Overall, the findings support the feasibility of using process-oriented observation to assess computational thinking practices in unplugged settings, highlighting the need for targeted professional development to help teachers implement and assess computational thinking meaningfully. These insights contribute to the growing body of research on computational thinking assessment in primary education, underscoring the importance of providing teachers with structured support and context-specific tools.

• Language: English
• Keywords: assessment, computational thinking, primary school, STEM education, unplugged
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: PEF - Faculty of Education
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 89-110
• Numbering: Vol. 15, no. 4
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-179553
• UDC: 373.3:004
• ISSN on article: 2232-2647
• DOI: 10.26529/cepsj.2283
• COBISS.SI-ID: 262782211

Copyright

Podatek o licenci CC-BY 4.0 je naveden na spletni strani revije (https://ojs.cepsj.si/index.php/cepsj/about). (Datum opombe 17. 2. 2026)

• Publication date in RUL: 17.02.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: CEPS Journal: Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal = revija Centra za študij edukacijskih strategij
• Publisher: Pedagoška fakulteta, Univerza v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 2232-2647
• COBISS.SI-ID: 254029824

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Vrednotenje veščin računalniškega mišljenja in angažiranosti : refleksije učiteljev razredne stopnje o dejavnosti računalništva brez računalnika

Abstract

Razvijanje računalniškega mišljenja v začetnih letih osnovnošolskega izobraževanja dobiva vse večjo pozornost, pri čemer je pristop računalništva brez računalnika posebej učinkovit pri mlajših učencih. Kljub temu ostaja vrednotenje računalniškega mišljenja na strani učiteljev, zlasti z uporabo procesno usmerjenih pristopov, premalo raziskano. V tej študiji analiziramo, kako so sodelujoči slovenski učitelji razredne stopnje vrednotili veščine računalniškega mišljenja in angažiranost učencev pri dejavnosti računalništva brez računalnika, zasnovani na nalogah tekmovanja Bober. Izsledki kažejo, da so učitelji najpogosteje prepoznali algoritmično mišljenje, vzorce ter prepoznavanje in odpravljanje napak, medtem ko sta bila dekompozicija in abstrakcija zaznani redkeje. Dejavnost je prejela visoke ocene glede motivacije in angažiranosti učencev, kar so učitelji pogosto povezovali z izvedbo na prostem in vključevanjem fizičnega gibanja. Sodelovanje in komunikacija sta bila prav tako pozitivno ocenjena, čeprav je nekaj učiteljev opozorilo, da je lahko učence občasno ovirala tekmovalnost. Ugotovitve kažejo, da je pri pristopu računalništva brez računalnika smiselno uporabiti procesno usmerjeno vrednotenje veščin računalniškega mišljenja, hkrati pa poudarjajo potrebo po profesionalnem usposabljanju, ki učiteljem omogoča učinkovito izvajanje in vrednotenje pristopov računalniškega mišljenja. Rezultati naše študije prispevajo k naraščajočemu korpusu raziskav o vrednotenju računalniškega mišljenja v osnovni šoli ter poudarjajo pomen zagotavljanja strukturirane podpore in kontekstno specifičnih orodij za učitelje.

• Keywords: vrednotenje, računalniško mišljenje, osnovna šola, STEM-izobraževanje, računalništvo brez računalnika

Projects

• Funder: Other - Other funder or multiple funders
• Funding programme: Ministrstvo za vzgojo in izobraževanje
• Project number: 3350-23-3503
• Name: Inovativna pedagogika 5.0