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It is widely believed that there are educational benefits to making computer games, but there is no systematic review of research on this topic. This article describes a meta-synthesis of research on children designing and programming computer games that investigates the extent to which there is evidence of benefits for computer science learning and motivation. Over 400 articles were identified, and 68 articles met the inclusion criteria. A systematic analysis and synthesis across studies showed some evidence that computer game design and programming can lead to changes in programming knowledge, problem solving, and computer science attitudes and confidence. However, most of the evidence described engagement in computing-related practices and did not measure learning. The findings were mostly positive, although several studies noted more negative attitudes toward programming after making games. The results were similar across different pedagogical approaches, although social interaction may provide unique opportunities for computer science learning. The synthesis resulted in a list of design elements for studying computer game design and programming activities; these can be used to increase the availability of evidence about learning. The article concludes with the identification of gaps in the research and suggestions for additional research.

Educational data mining can miss or misidentify key findings about student learning without a transparent process of analyzing the data. This paper describes the first steps in the process of using low-level logging data to understand how middle school students used Alice, an initial programming environment. We describe the steps that were required and the decisions that were made in building a tool to translate the low-level logging data into a form that can be used to investigate educational questions about problem-solving strategies for a range of different programming tasks. This work contributes to efforts to analyze educational data, and is important for researchers and tool builders involved with the design of logging systems for other programming environments and software tools.

Few early intervention efforts have improved the representation of women in computer science and engineering (CSE) disciplines, but pair programming has shown promise for reducing gender differences among college students. The current study is the first to examine this promising practice in middle school. In an effort to better understand what pair programming looks like, we describe an observational study of middle school girls. We coded audiotape transcripts to show the kinds of interactions that appear to promote or undermine effective problem solving. The findings are interpreted in terms of how to promote the kinds of interactions that make it more likely that middle school students will persist in the kind of problem solving that will prepare them for further CSE coursework.

Many believe that girls lack the confidence and motivation to persist with computers when they face a challenge. In order to increase the number of girls and women in information technology careers, we need a better understanding of how they think about and solve problems while working on the computer. In this article, we describe a qualitative study of 126 middle school girls who designed and programmed computer games in an after-school and summer program. Using data from electronic notebooks, we describe how girls thought about the problems they had while programming their games and the strategies they used in their efforts to solve them. Audiotape transcripts were also coded to show how girls talk about challenges and the steps they take to address them when programming a game on the computer. The findings are interpreted in terms of how to promote information technology fluency starting in middle school. (Contains 3 tables.)