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What Do We Know about Assessing Computational Thinking? A New Methodological Perspective from the Literature

Developing computational thinking (CT) assessment methods appropriate for elementary students is attracting growing attention as CT research in elementary education progresses. To review the current elementary CT assessments for potential gaps, and seek additional methodologies to expand our understanding of CT, an integrative literature review of 75 research papers was performed in two phases. In Phase One, we conducted a critical analysis of existing elementary CT assessment studies. Key results include: 1) Artifact analysis, CT assessment items, and interviews are the most common methods utilized to assess CT in elementary grades; 2) Existing CT assessments primarily focus on students' computational artifacts and performance on CT tests; however, strategies to study students' thought processes during CT problem-solving are limited and under-utilized. Guided by the results of phase one, along with the theoretical perspective that connected CT to visual processing ability, in phase two we performed a survey of literature in the area of understanding cognitive processes through eye-tracking (i.e., visual attention) and think-aloud methodologies (i.e., verbalization). We focused on eye-tracking and think-aloud methodologies as these have been used to understand students' cognitive processes during problem-solving in other areas. Based on these findings, we proposed that in addition to current established methodologies, eye-tracking with the think-aloud technique can provide new insights into students' CT.