Scratch-based summative assignment: define, simulate, and reflect on a computational process in one's own subject¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 4 claims (2 for, 2 mixed) · 1 study (1 qualitative), q2 · 1 of 1 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The examined artifact is a course summative assignment in which prospective teachers apply conceptual and practical CT knowledge in Scratch, chosen for its block-based, visual interface suited to novices. Students submit "a definition of a computational process within a school subject, highlighting the interaction between relevant concepts", a dynamic simulation illustrating it, and a written reflection. Definitions require prior instructor approval, and the assignment reinforces problem decomposition, abstraction, and generalization in both the subject domain and code development.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Prior instructor approval of the computational process definition, and a development environment (Scratch) accessible to novice programmers

Constraints¶

• The assignment was not intended to produce ready-to-use classroom materials, and the study did not evaluate the process definitions themselves

Target Learners¶

• prospective teachers in early childhood, elementary, and secondary teacher education programs

Target Learning Goals¶

• applying CT skills (decomposition, abstraction, generalization) within a disciplinary domain and in code development

Affordances¶

• 4P4Ct Four Pedagogies For Ct Framework

Claims¶

• Prospective teachers can identify and script computational processes across all knowledge domains, including humanities and social sciences [+W]
• Exploration simulations increased with teaching age level and were concentrated in secondary science subjects [~W]
• Inquiry-based exploration simulations were significantly more likely in exact and life sciences than humanities and social sciences [~W]
• Most prospective teachers produced dynamic simulations rather than tutoring scripts, with 46% adding inquiry-oriented exploration [+W]

Related Elements¶

• Scratch block-based programming language and sharing ecosystem

Examples¶

• Incorporate CT skills into all teacher preparation programs, for all subject matters, with iterative guidance for non-STEM teachers

Key Sources¶

• Ragonis, N., & Hazzan, O. (2026). Computational Thinking Across Disciplines: A Taxonomy of Pedagogical Approaches as Reflected in Prospective Teachers’ Simulations of Computational Processes. Informatics in Education, 25(1), 173–199. https://doi.org/10.15388/infedu.2506.019