Primary school students’ problem-solving strategies in creating artworks with GeoGebra

Computational thinking (CT) as a problem-solving skill has been argued to be an essential skill for all learners. Accordingly, there have been efforts to formalize and operationalize CT within school curricula in various countries. In primary schools, students often develop CT through unplugged activities and visual programming activities. However, in this study, we investigated the use of mathematical software with which students typed in commands (codes) to construct artistic artifacts. Educational Design Research (EDR) has guided the development of our task. We attempted to utilize technology to support students’ problem-solving skills and creativity by developing a GeoGebra-based Math+CT task infusing arts. Fifteen Grade 5 primary school students worked on a task to construct a mandala (Hinduism-Buddhism sacred geometrical figures) involving mathematical concepts. Data, in the form of students’ GeoGebra (i.e., “ggb”) files and screen video recordings, were collected and then analyzed using a content analysis method. Findings revealed that our designed task had promoted students’ different problem-solving strategies while working with technology. Additionally, most students did not encounter serious problems in working with GeoGebra commands, and students’ computational thinking skills were supported as a result of engagement with our activities.