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Make or Shake: An Empirical Study of the Value of Making in Learning about Computing Technology

Published:21 June 2016Publication History

ABSTRACT

Learning about computing technology has become an increasingly important part of the school curriculum but it remains unclear how best to teach it to children. Here, we report on an empirical study that investigated how the process of making affects how children of different ages learn about computing technology. In one condition, they had to first make an electronic cube before conducting other activities and in the other they were given a ready made one to use. The results of the study show that for younger children, the making significantly improved their performance in a post-lesson test, whereas the older children performed equally well in both conditions. We discuss possible reasons for this, in terms of differences in creative appropriation. We also saw much spontaneous collaboration between the children that suggests making can encourage a collaborative relationship between children of different ages.

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          cover image ACM Conferences
          IDC '16: Proceedings of the The 15th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children
          June 2016
          774 pages
          ISBN:9781450343138
          DOI:10.1145/2930674

          Copyright © 2016 ACM

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          Publication History

          • Published: 21 June 2016

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