Authors: Mazyar Seraj, Mauricio Verano Merino, Ebrahim Rahimi, Lina Ochoa
Venue: SPLASH-E
Abstract
Programming literacy is crucial for current and future gen- erations of young learners, irrespective of their career paths. Programming education is thus essential, making teaching methods and tools to be tailored to the target audience. In this context, contemporary visual programming environ- ments, particularly block-based programming, have become instrumental in introducing programming concepts to young learners. Educational theories such as Constructionism ad- vocate an approach centered on the learner to deepen and motivate learning. In computer science, these theories can be applied by providing hands-on experiences that connect computer science to real-life situations through the manip- ulation or construction of physical and tangible computa- tional devices. This study explores the impact of creating a smart object for a smart home using block-based program- ming on young learners’ attitudes and perceptions toward programming and their programming skills acquisition. An introductory programming workshop involved 28 8𝑡h grade students from a secondary school constructing and program- ming a smart-lighting object in a smart home setting. Perfor- mance, attitude, and perception trajectories were assessed through repeated questionnaires. Our results indicate that constructing and programming a real-life smart object en- hances learners’ confidence and programming skills. This paper contributes to programming education literature by demonstrating the potential of block-based programming, specifically in the context of state-of-the-art smart technolo- gies, to foster programming skills and develop positive atti- tudes and perceptions among learners.