Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36578687›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in psychology2022

Comparing the psychometric properties of two primary school Computational Thinking (CT) assessments for grades 3 and 4: The Beginners' CT test (BCTt) and the competent CT test (cCTt).

Laila El-Hamamsy, María Zapata-Cáceres, Pedro Marcelino, Barbara Bruno, Jessica Dehler Zufferey, Estefanía Martín-Barroso, Marcos Román-González

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in psychology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Laila El-HamamsyMOBOTS Group, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
María Zapata-CáceresLaboratory of Information Technologies in Education, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain.
Pedro MarcelinoComputational Thinking Department, TreeTree2 (T2), Lisbon, Portugal.
Barbara BrunoCHILI Laboratory, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Jessica Dehler ZuffereyLEARN - Center for Learning Sciences, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Estefanía Martín-BarrosoLaboratory of Information Technologies in Education, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain.
Marcos Román-GonzálezFaculty of Education, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: With the increasing amount of research around Computational Thinking (CT) and endeavors introducing CT into curricula worldwide, assessing CT at all levels of formal education is of utmost importance to ensure that CT-related learning objectives are met. This has contributed to a progressive increase in the number of validated and reliable CT assessments for K-12, including primary school. Researchers and practitioners are thus required to choose among multiple instruments, often overlapping in their age validity. Methods: In this study, we compare the psychometric properties of two of these instruments: the Beginners' CT test (BCTt), developed for grades 1-6, and the competent CT test (cCTt), validated for grades 3-4. Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory (IRT) were employed on data acquired from 575 students in grades 3-4 to compare the properties of the two instruments and refine the limits of their validity. Results: The findings (i) establish the detailed psychometric properties of the BCTt in grades 3-4 for the first time, and (ii) through a comparison with students from the same country, indicate that the cCTt should be preferred for grades 3-4 as the cCTt is able to discriminate between students of low and medium ability. Conversely, while the BCTt, which is easier, shows a ceiling effect, it is better suited to discriminate between students in the low ability range. For these grades, the BCTt can thus be employed as a screening mechanism to identify low ability students. Discussion: In addition to providing recomendations for use of these instruments, the findings highlight the importance of comparing the psychometric properties of existing assessments, so that researchers and practitioners, including teachers and policy makers involved in digital education curricular reforms, may take informed decisions when selecting assessments.

Indexed as

assessmentComputational Thinkingdevelopmental appropriatenessprimary schoolpsychometricsvalidation

Identifiers

PMID36578687
PMCPMC9791260

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.