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<p>Integrating computational thinking (CT) into STEM education provides meaningful learning contexts and promotes accessibility for students to develop CT skills. While various studies investigated the effects of this intervention, there is a lack of synthetic studies to examine the overall effect. This meta-analysis aims to examine the overall effect of STEM + CT interventions on students’ CT in K-12 education with existing qualified studies.&#xa0;Through systematic literature search, filtering, and coding procedures, 18 publications with 22 studies that met inclusion criteria were identified from a wide range of academic databases. As there were few experimental studies, this meta-analysis focused on studies that used one-group pretest–posttest designs. Subgroup analyses were conducted with moderating variables such as grade levels, STEM disciplines, alignment with content standards (e.g., CSTA/NGSS), duration, the use of computer programming or non-programming activities, CT dimensions (concepts, practices, perspectives), and plugged intervention types (e.g., simulation-based model building, block-based programming, text-based programming, maker activities).&#xa0;Using a random-effects model, we found an overall medium-to-large effect (<i>g</i> = 0.707 [95% CI of 0.556–0.859]; <i>p</i> &lt; .001) of STEM + CT interventions on CT outcomes. Most studies focused on middle school students, particularly in general science, and no qualified studies examined CT perspectives. Few interventions were explicitly aligned with computer science standards. Programming-based activities had a significantly larger effect on CT outcomes than non-programming activities. Most studies used the combination of simulation-based model building and block-based programming, which had a medium-to-large effect. This meta-analysis suggests integrating CT into STEM education holds promise for improving CT outcomes. Implications for research and practice are provided.</p>

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A Meta-Analysis Examining the Effects of STEM + CT Interventions on Students’ Computational Thinking in K-12 Education

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月8日

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  • Li Cheng,
  • Xiaoman Wang,
  • Albert D. Ritzhaupt

摘要

Integrating computational thinking (CT) into STEM education provides meaningful learning contexts and promotes accessibility for students to develop CT skills. While various studies investigated the effects of this intervention, there is a lack of synthetic studies to examine the overall effect. This meta-analysis aims to examine the overall effect of STEM + CT interventions on students’ CT in K-12 education with existing qualified studies. Through systematic literature search, filtering, and coding procedures, 18 publications with 22 studies that met inclusion criteria were identified from a wide range of academic databases. As there were few experimental studies, this meta-analysis focused on studies that used one-group pretest–posttest designs. Subgroup analyses were conducted with moderating variables such as grade levels, STEM disciplines, alignment with content standards (e.g., CSTA/NGSS), duration, the use of computer programming or non-programming activities, CT dimensions (concepts, practices, perspectives), and plugged intervention types (e.g., simulation-based model building, block-based programming, text-based programming, maker activities). Using a random-effects model, we found an overall medium-to-large effect (g = 0.707 [95% CI of 0.556–0.859]; p < .001) of STEM + CT interventions on CT outcomes. Most studies focused on middle school students, particularly in general science, and no qualified studies examined CT perspectives. Few interventions were explicitly aligned with computer science standards. Programming-based activities had a significantly larger effect on CT outcomes than non-programming activities. Most studies used the combination of simulation-based model building and block-based programming, which had a medium-to-large effect. This meta-analysis suggests integrating CT into STEM education holds promise for improving CT outcomes. Implications for research and practice are provided.