The Impact of Embodiment and Computational Perspective-taking Practice on Young Children's Mathematics and Programming Ability

A science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-influenced elementary classroom requires learning activities that provide hands-on experiences with the use of technological tools to encourage the development of problem-solving skills. This study focused on the promotion of computational thinking considered an applicable skill set in computer science, mathematics, engineering and programming. An essential component of computational thinking is the ability to think like a computer scientist when confronted with a problem. Employing this mode of thinking in a mathematics problem-solving task, the study introduced a set of learning activities designed to foster programming and mathematics learning and examined the effectiveness of practicing full embodiment together with a computational perspective on improving number line estimation skills, arithmetic skills, geometry learning, as well as programming accuracy and fluency. Findings suggested that full-embody activities combined with the practice of a computational perspective in solving mathematics problems led not only to learning mathematics but also to developing programming skills in Scratch Jr. and Hopscotch among novice young learners. Moreover, the practice of using a computational perspective significantly improved students' understanding of core programming concepts regardless of the level of embodiment. The dissertation study includes recommendations for how to make the computational thinking process more concrete and relevant within the context of a standard curriculum, especially mathematics, so that students can apply this thinking skill in the STEM fields, such as programming and robotics.