RT Journal Article
T1 Does gender influence the learning process of computational thinking in secondary education?
A1 García Pérez, Lía
A1 Roldán Álvarez, David
A1 Cañas Plaza, José María
AB The gender gap in STEM disciplines both in the workplace and in university education is still a reality. Computational thinking (CT) is deeply related to these disciplines. CT is fundamental to problem-solving and critical thinking, skills that are core to STEM disciplines. CT involves skills like algorithmic thinking, pattern recognition, and abstraction, all of which are necessary for tasks in fields such as engineering, computer science, mathematics, and science. It is important to understand gender differences, if any, in the acquisition of CT skills, so that we can develop more effective teaching strategies for all. This study analyses the gender differences in the development of CT skills (measured with a standard test) in 149 students of a Spanish secondary school, in three courses between 12 and 14 years old, before and after classroom work sessions with a 3D robotics simulator. In the empirical evidence a relevant a priori gender difference was detected in the first course, likely related with prior experiences on computer programming, but boys and girls finish the first year with similar CT levels. Disparate results appear for second year (male students improve more) and third year (female students improve more) which demands further study.
PB Wiley
SN 1061-3773
YR 2025
FD 2025-04-28
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/131958
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/131958
LA eng
NO García-Pérez, L., Roldán-Álvarez, D. and Cañas, J.M. (2025), Does Gender Influence the Learning Process of Computational Thinking in Secondary Education?. Computer Applications in Engineering Education, 33: e70050. https://doi.org/10.1002/cae.70050
NO European Commission
NO Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (España)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 17 mar 2026