Using Video Games to Promote Computational and Algorithmic Thinking in Adolescents

Computational thinking has become an important tool used in many fields in the 21st Century. Solving problems by decomposition, abstraction, pattern recognition, and generalization are all techniques that are commonly used to attack a problem. Although computational thinking sounds like a method for solving a problem with a computer, conceptually it is very different. Computational thinking skills and concepts can be developed without having experience writing formulas and developing software. This thesis aims to help early learners develop computational thinking skills through a fun and rich gaming environment. Our hypothesis is that although children naturally develop strategies in game play, they do not instinctively recognize the underlying computational models that control the level of difficulty as well as game experience. Additionally, we will examine if providing opportunities for students to manipulate game rules will help them recognize the underlying computational models. \ud The game world is set in a small beauty salon where the player is tasked with serving a barrage of customers with various demands. The player???s multitasking ability is tested as they wash, cut, and color each customer???s hair. Students aged 10 ??? 13 have been asked to play the game and complete a survey once they are familiar with the game. They are then given an opportunity to manipulate several factors of the game???s underlying computational model before completing a second survey. The thesis analyzes survey data along with user interaction data automatically captured by the software.Computer Scienc