Influencing factors in teachers’ attitudes towards Block Programming for the development of Computational Thinking in Primary Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51698/aloma.2026.44.1.24-32Keywords:
Factores influyentes, actitudes, educación primaria, programación visual por bloques, pensamiento computacionalAbstract
Computational Thinking (CT) has established itself as a key competency in primary education, with Visual Block Programming (VBP) being one of the main pedagogical tools for its development. This study analyses the personal, environmental and behavioural factors influencing primary school teachers’ attitudes towards VBP as a strategy for developing CT. A quantitative, cross-sectional, non-experimental study was conducted with a sample of 492 teachers in Spain. To collect the data, the validated AProPrim scale was used to measure attitudes and six ad hoc questions were used to measure possible predictive factors, which were analysed using inferential statistics with SPSS. The results show partial agreement with Bandura’s reciprocal determinism model, revealing that teachers’ attitudes towards PVB are determined by the interaction of personal and behavioural factors, while the environmental factors considered in this study do not show a significant influence. These findings underline the need to design training programmes that strengthen technical competencies and teachers’ pedagogical beliefs, promoting both a meaningful integration of CT in primary school teaching.
Downloads
References
Ajzen, I. (2002). Perceived behavioral control, self-efficacy, locus of control, and the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32(4), 665–683. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2002.tb00236.x
Asma, L., van der Molen, J. W., & van Aalderen-Smeets, S. (2011). Primary teachers’ attitudes towards science and technology. En M. J. d. Vries, H. v. Kuelen, S. Peters y J. W. v. d. Molen (Eds.), Professional development for primary teachers in science and technology (pp. 89–105). International Technology Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6091-713-4_8
Ato, M., López-García, J. J., & Benavente, A. (2013). Un sistema de clasificación de los diseños de investigación en psicología. Anales de Psicología, 29(3), 1038-1059. https://doi.org/10.6018/analesps.29.3.178511
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought & action: A social cognitive theory. Prentice-Hall.
Bocconi, S., Chioccariello, A., Kampylis, P., Dagiené, V., Wastiau, P., Engelhardt, K., Earp, J., Horvath, M., Jasuté, E., Malagoli, C., Masiulionyté-Dangiené, V., & Stupuriené, G. (2022). Reviewing computational thinking in compulsory education: State of play and practices from computing education. Publications Office of the European Union. https://doi.org/10.2760/126955
Carter, S. P., Greenberg, K., & Walker, M. S. (2017). The impact of computer usage on academic performance: Evidence from a randomized trial at the United States Military Academy. Economics of Education Review, 56, 118–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2016.12.005
Chen, P., Yang, D., Metwally, A. H. S., Lavonen, J., & Wang, X. (2023). Fostering computational thinking through unplugged activities: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis. International Journal of STEM Education, 10, Article 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-023-00434-7
Cheng, G. (2018). Exploring factors influencing the acceptance of visual programming environment among boys and girls in primary schools. Computers in Human Behavior, 92, 361–372. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.11.043
Çoban, E., Korkmaz, Ö, Çakır, R., & Uğur Erdoğmuş, F. (2020). Attitudes of IT teacher candidates towards computer programming and their self-efficacy and opinions regarding to block-based programming. Education and Information Technologies, 25(5), 4097–4114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10164-w
European Commission. (2020). Digital education action plan 2021–2027. https://education.ec.europa.eu/es/focus-topics/digital-education/actions
Ferrando, P. J., & Anguiano-Carrasco, C. (2010). El análisis factorial como técnica de investigación en psicología. Papeles del Psicólogo, 31(1), 18–23. https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=77812441003
Gamito, R., Aristizabal, P., Basasoro, M., & León, I. (2022). El desarrollo del pensamiento computacional en educación: valoración basada en una experiencia con Scratch. Innoeduca. International Journal of Technology and Educational Innovation, 8(1), 59–74. https://doi.org/10.24310/innoeduca.2022.v8i1.12093
González-Cervera, A., Martín-Carrasquilla, O., & González-Arechavala, Y. (2026). Actitudes de los docentes de primaria hacia la programación visual por bloques: diferencias por sexo y edad. Educación XX1, 29(1), 177–197. https://doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.42387
Jiang, B., & Li, Z. (2021). Effect of Scratch on computational thinking skills of Chinese primary school students. Journal of Computers in Education, 8(4), 505–525. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-021-00190-z
Kiliç, S. (2022). Tendencies towards computational thinking: A content analysis study. Participatory Educational Research, 9(5), 288–304. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.22.115.9.5
Ley Orgánica 3/2018. (2018). De Protección de Datos Personales y garantía de los derechos digitales. 5 de marzo de 2018. Boletín Oficial del Estado 294. https://www.boe.es/eli/es/lo/2018/12/05/3/con
Ley Orgánica 3/2020. Por la que se modifica la Ley Orgánica 2/2006, de 3 de mayo, de Educación. 29 de diciembre de 2020. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 340. https://www.boe.es/eli/es/lo/2020/12/29/3/con
Luri, G. (2022). La escuela no es un parque de atracciones: Una defensa del conocimiento poderoso. Ariel.
Massó, X. (2021). El fin de la educación: La escuela que dejó de ser. Akal.
Nordlöf, C., Höst, G. E., & Hallström, J. (2017). Swedish technology teachers’ attitudes to their subject and its teaching. Research in Science & Technological Education, 35(2), 195–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2017.1295368
Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (2015). Students, computers and learning: Making the connection. PISA, OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264239555-en
Oliveira, A., & Oliveira, D. (2023). Perceptions of future basic education teachers about the potential of programming in the educational context. Educational Media International, 60(3-4), 183–195. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523987.2023.2324598
Organización de las Naciones Unidas para la Educación, la Ciencia y la Cultura [UNESCO]. (2024). Guidance for generative AI in education and research. UNESCO.
Ortiz-Revilla, J., Ruiz-Martín, Á, & Greca, I. M. (2023). Conceptions and attitudes of pre-school and primary school teachers towards STEAM education in Spain. Education Sciences, 13, Article 377. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13040377
Ortuño M. G., & Serrano, J. L. (2024). Implementación y formación del profesorado de educación primaria en pensamiento computacional: Una revisión sistemática. RIED-Revista Iberoamericana de Educación a Distancia, 27(1), 255–287. https://doi.org/10.5944/ried.27.1.37572
Pérez-Marín, D., Hijón-Neira, R., Bacelo, A., & Pizarro, C. (2020). Can computational thinking be improved by using a methodology based on metaphors and scratch to teach computer programming to children? Computers in Human Behavior, 105, Article 105849. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.12.027
Ramey-Gassert, L., Shroyer, M. G., & Staver, J. R. (1996). A qualitative study of factors influencing science teaching self-efficacy of elementary level teachers. Science Education, 80(3), 283–315. https://bit.ly/45w0VPC
Real Decreto 157/2022. Por el que se establecen la ordenación y las enseñanzas mínimas de la Educación Primaria. 1 de marzo de 2020. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 52. https://www.boe.es/eli/es/rd/2022/03/01/157/con
Rich, P. J., Larsen, R. A., & Mason, S. L. (2020). Measuring teacher beliefs about coding and computational thinking. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 53(3), 296–316. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2020.1771232
Román-González, M., Pérez-González, J., & Jiménez-Fernández, C. (2017). Which cognitive abilities underlie computational thinking? Criterion validity of the computational thinking test. Computers in human behavior, 72, 678–691. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2016.08.047
Rowston, K., Bower, M., & Woodcock, S. (2022). The impact of prior occupations and initial teacher education on post-graduate pre-service teachers’ conceptualization and realization of technology integration. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 32(5), 2631–2669. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-021-09710-5
Smylie, M. A. (1988). The enhancement function of staff development: Organizational and psychological antecedents to individual teacher change. American Educational Research Journal, 25(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312025001001
Sun, L., & Liu, J. (2024). Different programming approaches on primary students’ computational thinking: A multifactorial chain mediation effect. Educational technology research and development, 72(2), 557–584. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10312-2
Sun, L., & Zhou, D. (2023). K-12 teachers' programming attitudes among different disciplines: Analysis of influential factors. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 40(2), 375–930. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12895
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2018). Using multivariate statistics (7th ed.). Pearson.
Tsai, C. (2019). Improving students' understanding of basic programming concepts through visual programming language: The role of self-efficacy. Computers in Human Behavior, 95, 224–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2018.11.038
Tsai, M., Wang, C., & Hsu, P. (2018). Developing the computer programming self-efficacy scale for computer literacy education. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 56(8), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633117746747
Tsortanidou, X., Daradoumis, T., & Barberá-Gregori, E. (2023). Unplugged computational thinking at K-6 education: Evidence from a multiple-case study in Spain. Education 3-13, 51(6), 948–965. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2022.2029924
van Aalderen-Smeets, S., & Walma van der Molen, J. (2013). Measuring primary teachers' attitudes toward teaching science: Development of the dimensions of attitude toward science (DAS) instrument. International journal of science education, 35(4), 577–600. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2012.755576
Wijnen, F., Walma Van Der Molen, J., & Voogt, J. (2024). Measuring primary school teachers’ attitudes towards new technology use: Development and validation of the TANT questionnaire. SN Social Sciences, 4, Article 32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00836-6
Wilson, M. L. (2021). The impact of technology integration courses on preservice teacher attitudes and beliefs: A meta-analysis of teacher education research from 2007–2017. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 55(2), 252–280. https://doi.org/10.1080/15391523.2021.1950085
Zapata-Cáceres, M., Marcelino, P., El-Hamamsy, L., & Martín-Barroso, E. (2024). A Bebras Computational Thinking (ABC-Thinking) program for primary school: Evaluation using the competent computational thinking test. Education and Information Technologies, 29, 14969–14998. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-023-12441-w
Zhou, X., Shu, L., Xu, Z., & Padrón, Y. (2023). The effect of professional development on in-service STEM teachers’ self-efficacy: A meta-analysis of experimental studies. International Journal of STEM Education, 10(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-023-00422-x
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ana Gonzalez Cervera
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
From issue 39(1) 2021 on, the authors conserve the copyright to their work and grant the journal the first publication rights to the work, registered under a Creative Commons attribution license, which allows for the publication of the work as long as attribution is make as to its authorship and it is first published in this journal. Before issue 39(1), copyright is hold by the publisher.
Aloma is published under Creative Commons license Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike (by-nc-sa): Commercial use of the original work or any derived works is not permitted, and distribution of such works must be under a license equal that regulates the original work.
Authors have permission to publish their work online and are encouraged to do so (for example, on institutional websites or on their own websites), as this could amplify the effects of the work and attract more citations.
