Improving Computational Thinking Skills with the Collaboration of Computer Science and Mathematics

The importance of Computational Thinking (CT) skills has gained significant attention in K-12 education, with several research studies highlighting the key role of CT in today’s education. To enhance students' CT skills, various approaches have been integrated into education, with the incorporation of computer science (CS) being the most popular. This approach not only exposes students to CT but also teaches problem-solving concepts that benefit both CS and CT. Furthermore, CT involves problem-solving processes that include specific dispositions and characteristics essential for developing basic computer applications, making it a necessity for students to both conceptualize and apply these skills. The current study aims to examine the influence of programming skills by teaching CT through the integration of mathematics in an interdisciplinary exercise. This experimental research involved four experimental groups and four control groups, with an overall sample size of N = 188. The groups were randomly assigned. The study results indicated that teaching programming by integrating mathematics as an interdisciplinary approach improves both students' programming and CT skills. This study is important as it provides lesson plans for a secondary school programming course that had a positive effect on students' programming learning.