Teaching variables in programming using problem based learning approach within 4th and 7th grade students

Modern curricula in the field of primary school computer science education place emphasis on the use of different approaches to teaching computing contents. A teacher motivates pupils for autonomous and research work by choosing different approaches. These can be implemented by the problem-based approach which is an approach of an active participation where pupils collect information by researching. Pupils study a new phenomenon and connect it with the factors connected with its emergence. In this way, they face a problem which has to be solved (Brundiers, 2013). The theoretical part of the thesis defines the project problem-based approach of teaching, describes possible ways of performing the problem-based approach while teaching, and explains why is the use of the problem-based approach suitable when new computational concepts are discussed. In the empirical part we designed problem-based tests to achieve the learning objectives of understanding the concept of a variable. The tasks contained learning objectives within the framework of Programs from the curriculum for the optional elective course Computer Science and Programming from the curriculum for the optional elective course Editing texts. The tests were used to perform two lessons which were carried out within the optional elective subject Computer Science in the 4th class and optional elective course Editing texts in the 7th grade of primary school. The pupils of the 7th grade had no previous experience with the discussed computational concept of a variable. 32 pupils attended the lecture and they were monitored while solving the tasks. We observed if and what differences occurred in understanding the computational concept of a variable with the pupils of the 4th and 7th grade who learn about the concept of a variable for the first time. The feedback was obtained by a final test and a non-standardized questionnaire. According to the results of the completed tasks and the final test of the new knowledge of the pupils we analysed key differences in understanding the computational concept of a variable with the pupils of the 4th and 7th grade who learned about the concept of a variable for the first time