Computational Literacy: Unplugged musical activities around Bebras International Challenge

Abstract

Computer Literacy is a reality in current educational legislation. Within the STEAM competence approach, music education and the development of Computational Thinking (CT) are located in this discipline. In this work, unplugged musical activities are designed based on the Bebras challenges, and their effectiveness is evaluated in terms of CT development in students. A quasi-experimental study was carried out with pre-post test measures in a group of 220 Primary School students (experimental, N = 170; control, N = 50). The experimental group performed three blocks of unplugged musical activities. Computational Thinking Test using Bebras Problems (Lockwood and Moone, 2018) was used as an instrument. Variables of gender, course, environment and academic ability were taken into account. The results show a significant increase in CT in the experimental group at a general level and in the Bebras activities of medium and advanced levels of difficulty. Schoolchildren from the rural context showed higher scores in CT development compared to the urban one. No significant differences are observed in the rest of the variables. Finally, a higher level of correct answers was observed in "easy" activities, greater completion of "medium" activities and a decrease in both in "advanced" activities.