Factors affecting teens' academic engagement in computational thinking activities

Abstract

In our increasingly technological society, computational thinking is considered vital despite future career choices. Computational thinking can develop and enhance unique thinking skills, and educators all over the world are focused on how they can increase youths' engagement in the field. More insight is required to see what teens enjoy and are engaged by when learning and applying computational thinking, as an increased engagement can make youth more invested and involved in computing.

This study aimed to investigate teens' academic engagement in computational thinking activities by answering the research question: "Which factors can influence teens' engagement in computational thinking activities?" Academic engagement concerns how students are psychologically invested towards learning, understanding, or mastering knowledge and skills that the academic work is promoting. This study looked more into the features of academic engagement and how collaboration can affect teens' academic engagement.

By conducting two workshops called Kodeløypa and Tappetina, data was collected using observations, interviews, artifacts, and questionnaires, and thus used to detect factors that teens find motivating. The result of this study is a mapping of factors that affect teens' academic engagement. Some examples are teamwork and assistance, competence, motivation, perceptions, and learning. These findings can be used to assist educators, lecturers, and teachers in developing engaging and motivating computational thinking activities.

Keywords: Computational thinking, academic engagement, motivation, youth