Computational Thinking Assessment: Literature Review

Although a consensus on the definition of computational thinking (CT) has yet to be achieved, teaching resources and associated reforms of curricula encapsulating CT are in use. As such, the assessment of these efforts is essential in order to successfully introduce CT into curricula. This chapter conducts a literature review of recent studies on CT assessment, presenting them in three categories based on their approach: (a) assessment using specific programming environments, (b) assessment using scales/psychometric tools, and (c) assessment using multiple forms/methods. We find that CT assessment faces unresolved issues, including the inability to cover all concepts and student age groups, the lack of scientific documentation and validation, and the dearth of tools to autonomously and efficiently assess CT. Findings also state a relation of CT with cognitive skills development. We propose that the use of multiple methods continues to be the most appropriate approach for CT assessment.