Ana Isabel Santos

The integration of Computational Thinking (CT) in Early Childhood Education has been widely recognized in the last decade due to its importance as a set of fundamental skills for the education of 21st-century citizens. This study examines the pedagogical practices developed by students in the master’s Program in Teaching Informatics at the University of the Azores during their teaching internships in preschool and primary education contexts. The study aimed to identify and analyze 32 unplugged and plugged-in activities, designed and implemented across seven classrooms, to promote CT skills in preschool children. A qualitative, interpretative approach was adopted, based on content analysis. Data were obtained from pedagogical practices involving the design and implementation of unplugged and plugged-in activities with preschool children to promote computational thinking. The results highlight the diversity of pedagogical strategies and underscore CT´s potential to develop various skills in children. The results also indicate that, regardless of whether strategies are implemented with or without technology, algorithmic thinking is one of the most promoted skills, closely linked to the development of laterality and spatial orientation. The results demonstrate that Computer Science Education is effective when pedagogical interventions are systematically planned. In addition, the master's program curriculum demonstrates success in integrating theory and practice, enabling the development of contextualized interventions tailored to contemporary educational needs through both remote and in-person strategies.

This study builds on previous research carried out in 2021 on the self-perception of elementary school teachers in Portugal regarding their digital competences for the pedagogical integration of technologies in educational contexts. In order to verify this perception throughout the country, we extended the research to include teachers from the Autonomous Region of the Azores (ARA), considering the following objectives: (i) to verify teachers’ digital competences; (ii) to identify their levels of digital competence; and (iii) to identify the level of influence of training on the categorization of teachers’ level of digital competence. This is an exploratory study that used an online questionnaire based on the digital competences in Area 2 of the DigCompEdu framework. Two hundred seven teachers took part in this study. The results revealed that teachers seem to feel capable of using technology but need to improve their ability to adapt digital resources for student learning. The global mapping of digital competences will make it possible to verify these competences, these attitudes and abilities, and the integration of ICT into teaching practices as well as helping to outline future projects and guidelines in the area of teacher training in the ARA in particular.

This paper intends to analyze the implementation of the Festival de Robótica - AZORESminiBOT, a robotics festival for the young which purpose was to create learning experiences that lead to the utilization of robots, promoting coding skills and computational thinking, as well as cooperative problem solving and with the mobilization of knowledge from specific curricular areas. At the same time, we intended to sensitize teachers to the relevance and comprehensiveness that robotic and coding activities can have in an educational environment. The festival took place in a school located at São Miguel Island, Azores. The proposed activities and the participation of the children in the four stations available were evaluated using direct observation and surveys by questionnaire. From the observations made by the researchers and the answers to the questionnaires of the 155 children who participated, 11 teachers, and 22 collaborators who facilitated the activities, it was concluded that the activities implemented were of interest to the children and were considered relevant by the teachers, but some aspects concerning the operation of the robots and the scenarios created should be taken care of in the future so that the pedagogical component is effective and of quality.

This paper seeks to identify the pedagogical resources used by kindergarten, primary and secondary teachers in Azores Islands. Additionally, an investigation will be made into how these resources are mobilized in teachers’ pedagogical practice, with the aim of understanding to what extent digital resources, particularly learning objects, are present in schools. For this purpose, a study was developed, which included a questionnaire survey conducted online, and sent to teachers in 2021/22. A total of 426 answers allowed us to conclude that the use of pedagogical resources is still far from the current and emerging need to mobilize digital resources, particularly learning objects, as a tool to enhance meaningful learning.

Recently, efforts have been made to add programming activities to the curriculum that promote computational thinking and foster 21st-century digital skills. One of the programming modalities is the use of Tangible Programming Languages (TPL), used in activities with 4+ year old children. In this review, we analyze solutions proposed for TPL in different contexts crossing them with non-TPL solutions, like Graphical Programming Languages (GPL). We start to characterize features of language interaction, their use, and what learning activities are associated with them. Then, in a diagram, we show a relation between the complexity of the languages with factors such as target age and output device types. We provide an analysis considering the type of input (e.g., TPL versus GPL) and output devices (e.g., physical robot versus graphical simulation) and evaluate their contribution to further insights about the general trends with respect to educational robotic systems. Finally, we discuss the opportunities to extend and improve TPLs based on the different solutions identified.

The academic publication takes on an increasingly relevant place to shape, on the one hand, the scholar’s prestige, and on the other, the prestige of the institution to which he or she is attached. In addition, academic publishing is vital for the development of scientific knowledge and the contribution to the community. This paper analyzes several dimensions that may be central to academic publishing in the near future. To this end, in methodological terms, a qualitative approach was favored, namely through the documentary analysis of scientific writings that analyze this topic. The results of this analysis reveal that this is a process in constant and accelerated development, but there will have to be criteria and processes for selecting what is scientifically relevant from what is called “noise” in scientific publishing. Increasing quality will have to be a fundamental element in this process.

The aim of this paper is to analyze how the process of educational transition is perceived by a group of children attending Preschool and Primary School, considering their expectations, fears, and experiences. Methodologically, this exploratory research was based on the collection of information through a conversational interview to 16 children in kindergarten and a questionnaire survey, with open and closed questions, to 35 children in basic education who attend a Portuguese School, in the Azores Archipelago. The data collected were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The results obtained corroborate what is referenced in the specialty bibliography, showing that children, in general, manifest positive and encouraging feelings towards the transition process between preschool and primary education, even though, simultaneously, they may feel some fear or discomfort towards the unknown. These results should be considered in the light of the pedagogical intervention that Preschool educators and Primary School teachers should develop to build a coherent and continuous process. Received: 19 June 2021 / Accepted: 19 August 2021 / Published: 5 September 2021