Developing a Game to Assess Abstraction Skills of Elementary Students: Design Principles and Validation Process

Computational thinking (CT) is a crucial 21st-century skill, and its integration into K–12 education underscores the need for effective assessment tools. Although there are existing tools to measure CT practices, improvements can be made in terms of their assessment formats and data analysis methods. To address this gap, this study develops Critters Puzzle (CP), a game-based assessment tool aimed at measuring primary school students’ CT practices, specifically abstraction skills. Based on the Evidence-Centered Game Design (ECGD) framework, 12 progressively challenging tasks were developed. To ensure the content validity of the tool, validation was put forward involving expert review and students’ cognitive interviews. Twenty-two experts were invited to review the appropriateness of the measurement and seven students (aged 6–10) were invited for interviews to evaluate the usability of the platform and its effectiveness as an assessment tool. Results indicated that the game is engaging, understandable, and appropriately challenging for students, and several modifications were made to the game based on the feedback from experts and interviewees. Future research will involve empirical studies to validate the game's psychometric properties, including its reliability and validity, as an assessment tool for CT practices.