Learning Programming Concepts through Game Design: A PCT Perspective

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of learners as game designers using Scratch’s building-block programming on junior high school learners’ programming concept learning performance and motivation. Participants were 133 eighth graders who learn to program through game design activity using Scratch and classified as the experimental group and the control group according to the types of learning sequence. The results revealed that a) the comprehension of programming concepts was not affected by type of learning sequence; b) participants possess higher motivation on the sequence of Scratch project following programming learning; c) the effects of participatory programming tools on novice programmer needs to be further investigated to broaden junior high learners’ technological fluency.