Integrating Computational Thinking in STEM Education: A Literature Review

• Published in: International journal of science and mathematics education Vol. 20; no. 8; pp. 1949 - 1972
• Main Authors: Wang, Changzhao, Shen, Ji, Chao, Jie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Nature Singapore 01.12.2022; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Computation; Course Content; Definitions; Education; Educational Methods; Educational Research; Educational Strategies; Learning; Literature reviews; Mathematics Education; Problem Solving; Robotics; Science Education; STEM Education; Student Evaluation; Teaching Methods; Technical education; Technology education; Thinking Skills; Computational thinking; Equity; STEM education; Instructional strategies; Assessment
• ISSN: 1571-0068; 1573-1774
• DOI: 10.1007/s10763-021-10227-5

Research focusing on the integration of computational thinking (CT) into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education started to emerge. We conducted a semi-systematic literature review on 55 empirical studies on this topic. Our findings include: (a) the majority of the studies adopted domain-general definitions of CT and a few proposed domain-specific CT definitions in STEM education; (b) the most popular instructional model was problem-based instruction, and the most popular topic contexts included game design, robotics, and computational modelling; (c) while the assessments of student learning in integrated CT and STEM education targeted different objectives with different formats, about a third of them assessed integrated CT and STEM; (d) about a quarter of the studies reported differential learning processes and outcomes between groups, but very few of them investigated how pedagogical design could improve equity. Based on the findings, suggestions for future research and practice in this field are discussed in terms of operationalizing and assessing CT in STEM contexts, instructional strategies for integrating CT in STEM, and research for broadening participation in integrated CT and STEM education.