The Influence of CodeCombat on Computational Thinking in Python Programming Learning at Primary School

In an age of rapid technological development, primary schools now teach programming to young students, focusing on developing their computational thinking, problem-solving, and ability to use computers to create solutions. However, fostering computational thinking skills in younger students was a challenging task. The serious game CodeCombat has become a potential resource for instructing young students in primary schools on basic programming principles using Python. This study delved into the role of the serious game CodeCombat in advancing computational thinking competencies among primary school students undertaking Python in Macao. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest approach, we examined 49 grade-one students over a two-week Python programming course facilitated by CodeCombat. The Computational Thinking Scale (CTS), encompassing Creativity, Cooperativity, Algorithmic Thinking, Problem Solving, and Critical Thinking, was employed to measure shifts in computational thinking before and after the teaching experiment. Data analysis through paired-sample t-test highlighted notable progress in computational thinking skills, with marked improvements specifically in Creativity, Critical Thinking, Algorithmic Thinking, and Problem Solving. However, Cooperativity did not exhibit the same upward trend, implying that CodeCombat's impact was more pronounced on solitary cognitive capabilities than collaborative skills. Moreover, the correlation between different dimensions indicated that these computational thinking skills were mutually reinforcing, suggesting that enhancing one might contribute to the development of others. The findings endorsed that game-based learning is effective in programming education and recommended integrating CodeCombat to improve computational thinking in learning Python programming in primary school.