The effectiveness of block-based programming applications in secondary school: Meta-thematic analysis complemented with qualitative research

Abstract

Programming is becoming increasingly important today and is considered one of the advanced skills that individuals should possess in the 21st century. However, since individuals often struggle when learning programming, block-based programming (BBP) applications have begun to be used to make coding easier to learn. In this study, the effect of BBP applications at the middle school level was investigated using meta-thematic analysis supported by qualitative research. The study consists of two stages. In the first stage of the research, studies were identified through document analysis within the scope of meta-thematic analysis. Two different researchers conducted content analysis on the identified studies to identify themes and codes. A total of 121 codes were identified from 10 studies, and 5 themes were created based on these codes. The study was conducted using an interdisciplinary approach within the scope of the experimental process. Due to the suitability of coding applications for science education and the fact that one of the researchers is a science teacher, the study continued with a 4-week BBP application with 6th-grade students taking science, information technology and software courses. At the end of the process, a semi-structured interview form was administered to the students, and codes were obtained from the participants’ responses through content analysis. The results of the study showed that BBP applications contributed to students’ affective and academic characteristics, 21st-century skills, personal development, and digital literacy. Therefore, this study not only synthesises the effects of BBP but also presents experimental evidence linking programming education to digital competencies and personal development, offering a rarely explored integrative approach to the literature.