Advancing computational thinking education: Insights from systems thinking applications

BACKGROUND: In today’s world, acquiring essential skills is crucial for empowering individuals, particularly children, to handle everyday challenges and tasks in a technologically advanced society. Among these skills, computational thinking (CT) plays a vital role in problem-solving and adapting to the complex and evolving demands of the 21st century. However, it is necessary to explore the role of other thinking skills alongside CT, considering that CT cannot be improved and applied in isolation. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to address the gap in knowledge regarding the application of systems thinking to CT development and its integration into education settings. METHODS: Results from two studies, focusing on CT development using educational robotics and maker technologies, form the basis of this paper. The research findings are synthesized and consolidated using the systemic FMA (framework of ideas, methodology, and area of concern) model. RESULTS: The research findings illustrate that utilizing a diverse set of approaches, methods, and tools can improve CT skill development across different educational settings. CONCLUSIONS: The adapted FMA model promotes methodological pluralism and facilitates a critical examination of CT development boundaries, leading to both conceptual and practical changes. This approach enables the recognition of emergent properties, the design of interventions, and the incorporation of multiple perspectives.