Effects of Problem-Based Learning Mangement Combined with Flipped Classroom Concepts and Gamifications on Computational Thinking Skills and Programming Ability of the Seventh Grade Students Using Solomon Four-Group Experimental Design

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to study the interaction between the learning management methods and the evaluation of learning achievement before learning affecting computational thinking skills and programming ability of the students and 2) to compare between the effects of the problem-based learning management combined with flipped classroom concepts and gamifications and the regular problem-based learning management of the seventh grade students on computational thinking skills and programming ability of the students using Solomon four-group experimental design. The samples used in this research were 140 students studying in the seventh grade. They were randomized by cluster sampling. They were divided into four groups: two groups for the experimental groups and two groups for the control groups. Each group consisted of 35 students. The research instruments were 1) a lesson plan based on the problem-based learning management combined with flipped classroom concepts and gamifications, 2) a lesson plan based on the regular problem-based learning management, 3) a test used to evaluate computational thinking skills and 4) a test used to evaluate programming ability. The statistics used were 1) desciptive statistics: mean and standard deviation and 2) the statistics used to test the hypothesis: two-way multivariate analysis of variance (Two-way MANOVA) and an analysis of Variance (ANOVA).  

                The research findings were as follows.

1.  The influence of the interaction between the learning management methods and the evaluation of the learning achievement before learning affected the computational thinking skills and programming ability with the statistical significance at the level of .05.
2.  The means of the computational thinking skills and the programming ability of the students in four groups, two experimental groups and two control groups, were different with the statistical significance at the level of .05.