Executive Function Predicts Coding Learning Outcome inYoung Children

• In Event: Poster Session 06
  In Poster Session: PS 06 Topic - Technology, Media & Child Development

Abstract

Executive function is a vital cognitive ability for young children, and is often used as an umbrella term for functions such as planning, working memory, and inhibitory control. Executive function is crucial for learning and managing daily life. For example, executive function in early childhood can significantly predict children’s later academic performance (Gerst et al., 2017). Executive function shows rapid development throughout early childhood (Anderson, 2002) and a variety of interventions have been proposed to train children's executive function (Holmes & Gathercole, 2014; Thorell, et al., 2009). Recently, researchers found that coding learning can significantly boost the development of executive function in young children (Arfé, et al, 2019; Di Lieto et al., 2017). However, it is still unknown whether children’s executive function will affect their coding learning outcome. To fill this gap, this study explored whether executive function could predict the outcome of coding learning in young children.
A total of 35 Chinese children (mean age = 6.48 years, SD = 0.77, 14 females) participated in the study. All parents signed informed consent before the experiment. And all children were reported to be physically and mentally healthy. Executive function was measured using the Chinese version of the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory (CHEXI) scale (Thorell & Nyberg, 2008), which was filled out by parents before learning coding. The scale reflects two components of executive function in preschool children: working memory and inhibition. Previous study has reported this scale to have good reliability and validity (Catale, Meulemans, & Thorell, 2015).
Before and after learning coding, we used a set of card-based and age-appropriate games to measure children's coding performance, involving the dimensions of Type, Loop, Decomposition, Function, and Algorithm. The scores of these five dimensions were aggregated to represent overall coding ability. The differences in coding performance between pre- and post-test were used to represent coding learning outcome. The coding course lasted 8 days and 1 hour per day. All children were divided into two groups: one group learning coding with cognitive strategies integrated and the other group served as a control group. Educational robots were used by children to learn coding skills.
With age and group as covariates, the results indicated that inhibition component of executive function can predict the changes in Function dimension induced by coding learning (F (1, 29) = 3.328, p < 0.05). Additionally, inhibition component showed a trend in predicting the changes in Decomposition dimension (F (1, 28) = 2.413, p = 0.088).
The results indicated that the inhibition component of executive function predicted coding learning outcome. This finding provides more evidence for the claim that executive function is an important cognitive ability supporting the development of learning abilities in early childhood.

Authors

• Xiaoxin Hao, zhejiang university
  Presenting Author

• Fengji Geng, Zhejiang University College of Education
  Non-Presenting Author