Analysis of Sentiment Toward Computer Science in Pre-University Education

• Published in: IEEE access 2024, Vol.12, p.71205-71218
• Main Authors: Herrero-Álvarez, Rafael, Callejas-Castro, Enrique, Miranda, Gara, León, Coromoto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Colleges & universities; computational thinking; Computer science; Education; Emotional factors; Emotions; Gender; gender studies; Learning; primary education; Problem solving; Secondary education; Sentiment analysis; Students
• ISSN: 2169-3536; 2169-3536
• DOI: 10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3402991

Emotions are essential drivers of the learning process, influencing motivation, performance, and problem-solving abilities. In the field of Computer Science, students often struggle with negative emotions during programming activities, impacting their performance and project quality. To address this challenge, there is a growing need to introduce Computational Thinking skills at the pre-university level. This study focuses on understanding the emotions experienced by primary and secondary school students during Computational Thinking activities, involving both plugged and unplugged tools. A significant performance difference was observed between primary and secondary education levels, with the latter outperforming the former. The research identifies specific associations between concepts and emotions, highlighting age-related differences with younger students exhibiting more positive emotions. While gender-based disparities in Computer Science perception exist in secondary education, there are no corresponding distinctions in emotional responses. The study reveals a gender-based effect, with girls showing reduced emotional responses and lower Computational Thinking performance than boys. In summary, this research underscores the profound role of emotions in learning, providing essential insights for tailoring educational strategies considering gender-specific and programming concept-related factors. It also connects lower emotional reactions to inferior results, emphasizing the importance of heightened emotional engagement.