ArticlePloS one2026
Enhancing computational thinking in early childhood: A cluster-randomized controlled trial of interactive STEM app intervention and the role of engagement.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This cluster-randomized controlled trial investigated whether a 12-week interactive STEM app intervention enhances computational thinking skills among young children aged 4-6 years and whether app usage engagement predicts learning outcomes. Ten classrooms from five kindergartens in Northern China were randomly assigned within each kindergarten to an intervention condition (5 classrooms, 125 children) that received structured app-based activities three times weekly or a waitlist control condition (5 classrooms, 125 children) that continued with traditional educational practices. Computational thinking was assessed at pretest and posttest using the TechCheck-K, a validated assessment designed for young children that does not require prior coding knowledge. App usage engagement was quantified through a multidimensional composite index capturing task completion, time on task, persistence, help-seeking efficiency, navigation independence, self-correction, and attendance. After controlling for baseline ability and demographics, children in the intervention group demonstrated significantly greater computational thinking gains than controls, with a small-to-moderate effect size of Cohen's d = 0.39. Within the intervention group, higher engagement significantly predicted superior posttest performance, although the unique variance explained was modest (approximately 1.5% beyond baseline ability and demographic characteristics) and the relationship is specific to the intervention context. These findings provide evidence that interactive STEM apps can enhance early computational thinking development when implemented systematically, and the main intervention effect was robust to mixed-effects sensitivity analyses accounting for clustering at both the kindergarten and classroom levels. Engagement emerged as a statistically significant, though practically modest, predictor of technology-based learning outcomes within the intervention context, underscoring the potential importance of fostering active, persistent interaction with educational technologies without overstating its standalone contribution. Implications for early childhood education practice, app design, and technology integration are discussed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.