Estableciendo vínculos entre el pensamiento computacional y el pensamiento algebraico en educación infantil: Implicaciones para la práctica docente

The aim of this article is both: 1) to explore the knowledge and beliefs of prospective early childhood education teachers about the link between computational and algebraic thinking through repetition patterns; and, based on the data obtained, 2) to present and analyze three tasks that promote this link. For this purpose, a questionnaire was administered to 51 pre-serviceEarly Childhood Education teachers froma Spanish public university and indicators were used regarding essential knowledge of computational and algebraic thinking in Early Childhood Education, with an emphasis on repetition patterns. The data show: a) some confusion between components, strategies and softskills of computational thinking; b) computational thinking is mainly linked to number sense and, when it is linked to algebraic thinking, it is done in a general and uncertain way; c) in order to promote this link, it is advisable to design and set tasksfrom a multidisciplinary perspective in order to overcome the restrictions identified