Effect of cognitive control strategies on young children’s attention and emotion during coding learning

This study investigates the effect of cognitive control strategies on young children's emotional and attentional states during coding learning. We conducted a quasi-experimental study with 46 children aged 5-6 years, dividing them into an experimental group using cognitive control strategies (planning, monitoring, reflecting) and a control group without these strategies. Video recordings from three lessons, representing the early, middle, and late stages of the coding course provided to the two groups, were analyzed to assess attention and emotion every three seconds. High-resolution data analyses indicated that cognitive control strategies helped children maintain attention and remain in a neutral emotional state during learning activities with good ecological validity. Additionally, cognitive control strategies enhanced learning outcomes, which were significantly related to attention measured during learning. These findings suggest that integrating cognitive control strategies in early education can improve attention, emotional regulation, and learning outcomes.