Introduction to Computational Thinking with Scratch for Teacher Training for Spanish Primary School Teachers in Mathematics

Abstract

In recent years, the inclusion of computational thinking in education has become very important. This is a response to the needs of the evolution of our society and the skills demanded in students to obtain practical and integrated training. For this reason, the educational inclusion of these types of practices, strategies, and skills has been the subject of study in recent years. However, it is equally important to prepare and analyse the initial training of future teachers in this area. This research paper presents an empirical experience in which the degree of development of skills associated with computational thinking in preservice primary teachers is examined. For this purpose, programming practices with Scratch were carried out with a total of 149 students of primary education university degrees as part of their training in mathematics education. An experiment was designed for a control group and an experimental group with initial and final measurements using a validated diagnostic instrument consisting of 30 questions associated with computational concepts and their application: a computational thinking test. The result of the experience is positive, as a more significant improvement was observed in the experimental group, which was also accompanied by the impressions, provided by participants, that point in a positive, useful, and practical direction in terms of the development of this type of educational practice being relevant enough to introduce to the teaching and learning process of mathematics.

Keywords

• computational thinking
• mathematics
• primary education
• scratch