Document Type : Original Research Paper
Authors
Department of Educational Studies and Curriculum Planning, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Background and Objectives: This research aims to examine the impact of Scratch-based programming instruction grounded in the STEAM approach on learners’ critical thinking. Programming instruction using Scratch—a visual, block-based programming language—can significantly enhance critical thinking skills and facilitate the learning of programming content. This approach, rooted in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics), helps learners acquire the essential skills needed in the digital age through practical and interactive methods. The utilization of Scratch, owing to its visual features and block-based structure that enables a hands-on experience of fundamental programming concepts, can effectively bridge the gap between theory and practice while reinforcing students’ cognitive and logical abilities. Previous research has demonstrated that integrating interactive instructional methods with multimedia environments increases self-efficacy, creativity, and learner engagement with educational content. Consequently, employing Scratch in the instructional process not only familiarizes students with basic programming concepts but also boosts their learning motivation and active participation in developing the skills required for the digital era. This study aims to provide a scientific foundation for designing interdisciplinary courses that prepare students for future challenges by precisely examining the educational effects of Scratch.
Methods: The current research, based on its objective, application, and work approach, is quasi-experimental, using a pretest-posttest design with three groups: one control and two experimental groups. Out of 48 participants, 16 were assigned to the control group, 16 to the group taught with the STEAM approach, and 16 to the traditional teaching group. The population of this research includes all sixth-grade female students in Karaj city. A school with two sixth-grade classes was randomly selected. In order to gather the required data, both library and field research methods were utilized. In addition to eight sessions of Scratch programming teaching with the STEAM approach, Rick's Critical Thinking Questionnaire was used for the critical thinking variable, and a researcher-made questionnaire was used for the programming content learning variable.
Findings: The results showed that the programming education using Scratch software based on the STEAM approach has been influential on learners’ critical thinking and programming content learning. The findings indicate that Scratch-based programming instruction within the STEAM framework has a significant positive impact on critical thinking components, specifically creativity (coefficient= 0.421), cognitive engagement (coefficient= 0.233), and cognitive maturity (coefficient= 0.267).
Conclusion: The outcomes indicate that programming education and cognitive maturity in critical thinking have a positive correlation with each other, and as students' programming skills increase, their cognitive maturity in critical thinking also increases. In other words, as programming skills increase, improvements are observed in students' creativity, intellectual participation, and cognitive maturity, which underscores the importance of designing interdisciplinary courses tailored to learners’ needs for developing critical thinking and self-regulatory abilities.
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COPYRIGHTS
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)
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