A Meta-Analysis on the Effects of Coding Education for Early Childhood Education

While the importance of coding education in early childhood education has recentlybeen emphasized, research comprehensively examining its effects remains limited. The purpose of this study is to systematically analyze the effects of coding education for early childhoodeducation through a meta-analysis. The study subjects are research articles published inKorean domestic journals (KCI listed) up to 2024. The research method used is ameta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines, and effect sizes (Hedges' g) were calculatedusing EXCEL and R programs. The results are as follows: First, the overall mean effect size(g) of coding education for early childhood education was 1.62, with pre-postexperimental-control group designs showing larger effect sizes than comparative studies basedon coding experience. Second, regarding effect sizes across cognitive, affective, andpsychomotor domains, the cognitive domain showed the largest effect, followed bypsychomotor and affective domains, with the cognitive domain showing statistical significance. Third, regarding program types, unplugged coding showed the largest effect size, followed bycoding robots and integrated programs, although differences between types were notstatistically significant. This study empirically verified that coding education for earlychildhood education demonstrates large positive effects overall. The study discussed the needfor careful interpretation considering potential publication bias and small sample sizes insubcategories, and suggested implications and future research directions for effectiveimplementation of coding education for early childhood education.