Development opportunities in the use of making in teaching programming : A study on student opportunities and difficulties in creating code

Programming is a new subject in the Swedish curriculum, as a part in teaching mathematics. Literature studies highlights the need of empirical studies in order to develop computational thinking. “Making” is a pedagogical practice used in teaching programming which, according to previous research, has been successful with the aim of creating code in programming environments. However, there is critical opinions about the use of making and how the use of the practice can enable computational thinking. The purpose has therefore been to investigate the opportunities and difficulties that may arise in the use of making, as well as what active actions students choose to do when they encounter “bugs” when creating code. The aim of the study is therefore to investigate and deepen the understanding of the use to develop computational thinking in programming environments in later years mathematic education. In order to achieve the purpose of the study, participant observations were used as method in two classes in grades 7. Centrally for the method is that the observation amplifies with interviews. The result provides a basis for data which resulted in three subcategories in the material analysis, based on the theoretical framework of the study, which is computational thinking. The categories were named ”everyday examples”, “mathematics and programming syntax” and “endurance” (when student encounter “bugs”). The categories provided a basis for the opportunities and difficulties that can arise when using making and how teachers are supposed to teach to motivate students during bugs while creating code to develop computational thinking