An Investigation of the Relationship between Computational Thinking and Scientific Process Skills in Pre-schoolers: A Correlational Study

HAVA K., KORKMAZ A.

Journal of Science Education and Technology, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s10956-026-10338-0
  • Dergi Adı: Journal of Science Education and Technology
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Aerospace Database, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), INSPEC, Psycinfo, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Natural Science Collection (ProQuest), Biological Science Database (ProQuest), Earth, Atmospheric, & Aquatic Science Collection (ProQuest), Education Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Materials Science & Engineering Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest)
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Computational thinking, Correlational study, Preschool children, Science process skills
  • Yozgat Bozok Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between computational thinking and science process skills in preschool students. The participants were 153 children aged 5 to 6 from three different preschools in Türkiye. Data were collected using a demographic information form, the TECHCHECK-K scale to assess computational thinking, and the Science Process Skills Achievement Test. The data were analyzed using RStudio. The results indicated that preschool students demonstrated moderate levels of computational thinking and relatively high levels of science process skills. Correlation analyses revealed a moderate and statistically significant relationship between computational thinking and science process skills. Furthermore, structural equation modeling demonstrated that computational thinking was positively and significantly associated with science process skills, explaining 18% of the variance. These findings provide preliminary evidence of an association between computational thinking and science process skills in preschool children, while highlighting the need for further longitudinal and experimental research.