Development of a local cultural folktales to promote computational thinking of preschool children
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Abstract
This study aimed to 1) develop a local cultural storytelling package to promote computational thinking in preschool children, and 2) investigate the effects of using a local cultural storytelling package integrated with unplugged coding activities on preschool children’s computational thinking. The participants consisted of 30 preschool children aged 5–6 years enrolled in Kindergarten Year 3 at Koh Sireh School, under the Phuket Primary Educational Service Area Office. The research instruments included six local cultural storytelling units and a computational thinking assessment. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and a t-test. In addition, qualitative data were collected through behavioral observation during the implementation of the learning activities.
The findings revealed that the developed storybooks were rated at the highest level of appropriateness (Mean = 4.51) and significantly enhanced children's computational thinking abilities (p < .05), particularly in the areas of algorithm design and abstraction. Children naturally demonstrated computational thinking behaviors through storytelling experiences. This study proposes a new pedagogical approach for developing learning materials that are culturally responsive and developmentally meaningful, aiming to support sustainable learning in early childhood education.
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