Computer Programming and Computational Thinking for Young Students

Question: When thinking about active screen time with students, can you give us more information on the benefits of coding and computational thinking when referring to active screen time and the research that supports? 

Answer: This is an interesting question! “Active” screen time refers to technology use that focuses on production, allowing students to create, test, revise, and solve problems, as compared to “passive” screen use centered on watching, scrolling, or consuming content, with limited thinking, creation, decision-making, or interaction. 

When used for coding and programming, this kind of active screen time helps students build computational thinking skills, or how to break down a problem into steps a computer can follow. These skills include noticing patterns, thinking through solutions step by step, using rules like “if this happens, then do that,” and learning how tasks can be automated. Students often practice these skills through projects such as robotics or coding games. 

Coding and Computational Thinking in Schools 

Benefits 

Integrating coding and computational thinking has been a required part of K-12 curricula in many countries, including the US. According to a 2025 systematic review of 49 studies, not only do students gain direct coding skills, but programs that emphasize computational thinking were found to significantly improve students’ problem-solving, critical thinking, sense of agency, initiative, creativity, writing, self-reflexivity, perspective taking, and social and collaborative skills. These benefits were particularly strengthened when computational thinking was taught: 

• in a project-based manner,  
• with peer collaboration,   
• introduced early in students’ education, 
• and integrated alongside curricula for reading, writing, and math.  

Setting up for Success 

• Resource and expertise availability. Integrating coding and computational thinking into the classroom requires a learning environment that’s equipped to provide necessary resources and teacher or expert mentorship.  

For example, the successful programs described in this systematic review involved considerable teacher experience, hands-on robotics supplies, and students with adequate content knowledge in math. Students required instructors’ help transferring their computational thinking skills to different types of learning tasks and progressing beyond challenging roadblocks; in other words, computational learning was described as often a very social process and not necessarily done 1-to-1 with computer software.  

• Format or modality used for programming education. Based on a 2024 meta analysis, “graphical” programming (i.e. active screen-based programming) offers greater benefit for student computational thinking than other non-screen modalities like cards or physical puzzles to teach coding principles, or tangible robot-like toolkits such as KIBO, Mabot, and Botley. 

Graphical programming tools include examples such as Kodu, Mindstorms, mBlock, or Scratch, which all use a screen-based interface where students select, order, and play different code components to solve problems or achieve often gamified goals.  

• Design. There is also some evidence that the way these coding tools are designed can shape how students feel about programming and how well they do with it. For example, for 6th-graders, more game-like tools such as mBlock and Scratch were linked with stronger interest and better results than more text-heavy options such as Python with the Turtle library. 

Practical Takeaways for Educators and Organizations 

• When using screens in schools for computational thinking, emphasize active, social, and teacher-supported engagement.  
• Coding and computational thinking curricula are most effective when educators are equipped with the confidence and resources to teach it. Educational organizations can help supply these resources and support teacher confidence.  
• Outside of the classroom, research shows that school “Code Clubs” and after-school programming can further build students’ resilience, confidence, and sense of belonging in addition to their coding skills.  

References  

• Cetin, I., & Otu, T. (2023). The Effect of the Modality on Students’ Computational Thinking, Programming Attitude, and Programming Achievement. International Journal of Computer Science Education in Schools, 6(2).  
• Guan, T., Zhang, L., Ji, X., He, Y., & Zheng, Y. (2025). Student Characteristics and ICT Usage as Predictors of Computational Thinking: An Explainable AI Approach. Journal of Intelligence, 13(11), 145.  
• Mills, K. A., Cope, J., Scholes, L., & Rowe, L. (2025). Coding and Computational Thinking Across the Curriculum: A Review of Educational Outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 95(3), 581–618.  
• Siddiqui, N., Gorard, S., & See, B. H. (2026). Do Coding Club After-School Activities Improve Pupils’ Non-cognitive Skills and Performance in Coding? Computers in the Schools, 0(0), 1–22.  
• Wei, Y., Wang, L., Tang, Y., Su, J., Lei, Y., & Peng, W. (2024). Influence of programming education modalities on the computational thinking in young children: A comprehensive review and meta-analysis. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 40(5), 2385–2397.