Children aged 3-6 in a seven-session educational robotics program showed significantly greater computational-thinking gains than a non-equivalent, non-randomised control group¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r1–r2 · q2 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2019 · checked against its sources 2026-11-02 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? In a non-randomised comparison with initially non-equivalent groups, learning gains (post-test minus pre-test) were significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group for every dimension and the total score (asymptotic significance less than .01). → Muñoz-Repiso and Caballero-González 2019 q2 i3 The Cohen's effect size for the complete test was 1.84, which the authors describe as extraordinarily high. → Muñoz-Repiso and Caballero-González 2019 (2)

Evidence¶

Muñoz-Repiso and Caballero-González 2019¶

García-Valcárcel Muñoz-Repiso, A., & Caballero-González, Y. (2019). Robotics to develop computational thinking in early Childhood Education. Comunicar, 59, XXVII. https://doi.org/10.3916/C59-2019-06

q2 · i? · causal · r1

Non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test on gain scores in a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design with 131 children (67 experimental, 64 control) in groups the school had already formed, so assignment was not random. The groups were not equivalent at pre-test (the experimental group scored higher on every dimension), and the authors state that post-test differences "are not directly attributable to the intervention", which is why they compare gains. The article reports "an asymptotic significance of less than .01" for each variable; no effect size accompanies this test. The control group also gained, which the authors attribute to maturation and pre-test learning.

"Defining the gain as the increase in the post-test score concerning the pre-test, the test results reflected an asymptotic significance of less than .01 (Table 4) for each of the variables."

Muñoz-Repiso and Caballero-González 2019 (2)¶

García-Valcárcel Muñoz-Repiso, A., & Caballero-González, Y. (2019). Robotics to develop computational thinking in early Childhood Education. Comunicar, 59, XXVII. https://doi.org/10.3916/C59-2019-06

q2 · i3 · causal · r2

Effect-size estimate for the complete test in the same non-randomised study with initially non-equivalent groups: the article prints an effect size, Cohen's value of 1.84, described as "extraordinarily high" and much higher than the 0.80 threshold the article sets as very high.

"The size of the effect has been estimated for the complete test by calculating the Cohen’s value. This is extraordinarily high (1.84), much higher than the value 0.80 established as very high."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

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