The Effects of Problem-solving Strategies on Elementary School Students’Learning Outcomes, Attitudes, and Processes of Scratch Programming

• Main Authors: Wen-Chyi Wu, 吳文琦
• Other Authors: Yen, Ching-Zon
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/umuvzr

碩士 === 國立臺北教育大學 === 數學暨資訊教育學系(含數學教育碩士班) === 101 === Abstract This study investigates the effects that various teaching strategies have on the learning achievement, learning attitudes, and problem-solving processes employed for the visual programming language Scratch. This study employed a quasi-experimental research design, with the sample comprising 4 classes of sixth graders from a elementary school in New Taipei City, for a total of 113 participating students. Additionally, experimental teaching of an “IF conditional” unit was conducted for 3 weeks. Regarding the research design, purposive sampling was adopted to randomly assign two classes of students to the problem-solving group and the remaining two classes to the sample-lecture group. After the experimental teaching using various teaching activity design strategies, covariance analysis and an independent-samples t-test were employed to perform quantitative analysis of the learning achievement and attitudes. Qualitative methods were also used, such as gathering the students' worksheets, responses to attitude questionnaires, classroom practice files, and video recordings of interviews regarding their problem-solving processes, to investigate the effects that problem-solving processes have on programming learning. Based on the results, this study infers the following findings: 1. The learning achievement of the problem-solving teaching strategy group were significantly superior to those of the sample-lecture group. 2. Although the various teaching strategies made no significant differences in their effects on learning attitudes, the problem-solving group still achieved comparatively higher average scores for the four attitude scales of interest, practical, confidence, and cooperative. 3. The qualitative analysis results for problem-solving processes show that complete problem-solving processes can enhance problem-solving efficiency. With flawed problem-solving processes, students can experience the importance of “debugging” through trial and error. Collaborative discussion of problem-solving processes can encourage diverse problem-solving thinking.