Examining theoretical and pedagogical foundations of computational thinking in the context of higher education

Abstract

This research paper examined theories, pedagogics, and contents explored by studies focusing on promoting computational thinking (CT) in higher education institutions (HEIs). CT has become a fundamental approach to building problem-solving skills, which requires a thought process. The field of CT is generally still maturing, and the use of CT as an approach to introduce freshmen to introductory programming courses in HEIs has been gaining scholars' interest in the recent past. To appreciate the strategies explored to promote teaching and learning of CT in HEIs; evaluate scholarly discussions, contributions, and potential impact of studies in this field, there is a need to ground the theoretical constructs that build the foundation for the field. A literature review methodology was adopted in this study. The data collected from the Web of Science, the Scopus, ACM, and ProQuest databases were analyzed to provide answers to the research questions. The findings from this study suggest that constructionism and constructivism are the prevailing learning theories explored by scholars in this field to deploy CT in HEI. Additionally, the study revealed that activity-based learning, problem-based learning, automatic assessment-based learning, and self-regulated or self-reflective learning are the prominent pedagogies used by educators. These findings provided a strong foundation for research in this growing field. Besides, the findings also create an opportunity for positioning CT in HEI's educational curriculum regarding how CT should be taught in that context.