Computational Thinking Skills in Engineering Education: Enhancing Academic Achievement Through Innovations, Challenges, and Opportunities

This study is a meta-analysis that identifies several publications focusing on the effect of computational thinking skills (CTS) on the academic achievement of engineering education students at the higher education level. Publications were sourced from Google Scholar and Scopus metadata using the Publish or Perish application, with a search time range of 2014- 2023. Initial analysis was carried out using statistical formulas with Microsoft Excel, and meta-analysis results were generated using JASP software. A total of 6 publications were analyzed to determine how much influence CTS has on students' academic achievement. The results of the analysis provide evidence that the overall effect is 54%, which falls into the medium category. The study highlights that innovation, challenge, and opportunity significantly enhance student learning outcomes by fostering skill development, motivating problem-solving, and encouraging the exploitation of new opportunities. These findings offer valuable insights for curriculum developers, educators, and policymakers aiming to incorporate CTS-focused strategies to bolster academic achievement.