As the importance of Computer Science (CS) competencies grows, understanding the factors influencing CS content knowledge in K-12 education becomes crucial. Previous research has shown interrelations between fluid intelligence, domain interest, and domain knowledge among students in STEM education. However, there is limited understanding of how these factors influence computing knowledge specifically in secondary school students as many other studies in computer science education (CSE) focused on gender differences, crystallized intelligence or other variables. This study aims to investigate the relationship between secondary school students’ fluid intelligence (capacity to solve new problems independent of acquired knowledge), interest in CS, and CS knowledge. A survey was conducted among 198 10th grade students (male=135, female=55, other=6, 2 not specified) from 20 secondary schools in Germany. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to analyse the data. The SEM revealed a significant influence of fluid intelligence on students’ CS content knowledge and a significant correlation between interest in CS and CS content knowledge. The model explained 26.7% of the variance in CS content knowledge among the students in this sample. These findings highlight the importance of considering both cognitive factors like fluid intelligence and affective factors like interest in CSE. However, further research is needed to explore additional variables such as self-concept and prior computing knowledge to better understand factors influencing students’ CS content knowledge.
Tobias Bahr (Wed,) studied this question.