Abstract:

The results of many local, national and international researches have shown that primary and secondary schools’ students are having the most difficulties on problem solving. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of teaching programming with Scratch on the skills of problem solving of 5th and 6th grade students and to figure out the steps students have applied on solving the undefined problems. Mixed method was used for the data analysis with pre-test/post-test experimental design for the quantitative data and case study design for the qualitative data. The sample of the study consisted of 109 male students and 117 female students; that is, totally 226 students from the 5th and 6th grade at Bursa-Osmangazi Şükrü Naili Paşa Secondary School. Wilcoxon signed-rank test results showed a statistically meaningful difference between the mean of pretest and post test scores of problem solving scale. The effect size (d=0,389) showed a medium level effect of Scratch programming on 5th and 6th grade students’ problem-solving skills. According to the results, to raise the students with problem solving skills, Scratch might be used as an alternative method. It is advised to the teachers to use design based instruction giving unstructured problems to students and having them solve those using Scratch programming.

Keywords: