Learning Function with Lightbot: A Study on Influencing Students' Empowerment and Interest in Programming for K-12 Education

Learning programming has become increasingly important in K-12 education. However, understanding function concepts can be a challenge for beginners. Lightbot is an educational platform that introduces students to fundamental principles of computational thinking, including sequencing, functions, and loops, through block-based programming tasks. However, research on its impact on K-12 programming empowerment and interest remains limited. Programming empowerment refers to an individual's perceived autonomy and competence to effectively apply computational thinking. This study employed qualitative and quantitative methods to address the research gap and examine how Lightbot influences primary students' programming empowerment and interest. Participants included 127 grade two students (aged 7-8) from a primary school in Macao.Quantitatively, the Programming Interest and Empowerment Scale (PIES) was used to evaluate programming empowerment (meaningfulness, impact, creative self-efficacy, and programming self-efficacy) and interest in programming, while the Programming Achievement Test (PAT) measured their programming performance following Lightbot instruction. ANOVA revealed a significant association between students' PIES scores and their programming achievement, with higher achieving students reporting more positive perceptions of programming empowerment and interest.Qualitatively, students' interview data indicated that Lightbot supported new knowledge acquisition, addressed challenges, linked concepts to real-life contexts, improved logical thinking, promoted creativity, and strengthened programming self-efficacy.This study indicated that Lightbot could enhance primary school students' empowerment and interest in programming, leading to better programming achievement.