Exploring the key influencing factors on college students’ computational thinking skills through flipped-classroom instruction

Abstract

To better understand students’ computational thinking skills (CTS) within the context of flipped-classroom instruction, a structural equation modeling analysis is employed to examine the key factors that influence student learning and students’ CTS when learning through flipped-classroom instruction. A total of 406 first-year college students responded to the survey. The results of this study show that student-to-student connectedness, learning motivation, and learning strategy have a direct impact on students’ CTS. In addition, indirect effects were found between student-to-student connectedness and CTS through learning motivation. Indirect effects were also found between learning motivation and CTS through the learning strategy in a flipped-classroom instruction situation. The findings of this research have practical implications for instructors, in that they should focus on the key factors that predict students’ computational thinking skills.