Understanding the Source of Confusion with Computational Thinking: A Systematic Review of Definitions

Abstract

Computational Thinking (CT) is considered a necessary 21st-century competence that should be introduced to school education as a vital ingredient. However, the lack of a consensual definition of CT and the confusion with other similar terms made it a big challenge for researchers and practitioners to understand this concept. The purpose of this work-in-progress (WIP) is to identify and compare the existing definitions of CT proposed by various members of the education or research community, and ultimately to give educators and researchers suggestions on understanding this concept for particular purposes or situations. We conducted a systematic review of the definitions of CT from the source of academic articles and categorized the definitions based on their approaches, dimensions, and contexts. Forty-one unique and original concepts were extracted from the search. Results indicate that the existing definitions of CT were mostly formulated 1) with a prototype approach, 2) for the generic purpose of use, 3) in the context of K-12 education, 4) based on the subject of Computer Science. These results provide sufficient granularity to allow us to come up with suggestions on how to choose appropriate and pragmatic CT definitions.