International Journal of Computer Science Education in Schools, cilt.4, sa.2, ss.24-35, 2020 (Hakemli Dergi)
The purpose of this research is to examine Computer Programming Attitude (CPA), Computer Programming Self-Efficacy (CPSE) and Computational Thinking (CT) skills of middle school students who took the Information Technologies & Software (IT&S) courses and those who did not, and make various analyses according to the relationships between these variables. As a result of the analysis, it was found that CPA and CPSE variables are significant predictors for CT skills, both students who took IT&S course and those who did not take have moderate CPSE, but students who took IT&S course have a statistically significantly higher CPSE. In addition, it was observed that both those who took IT&S course and those who did not have moderate CPA and did not differ statistically, and students who took IT&S course had a high level of CT, while those who did not take the course were moderate and statistically different. It was also found that students who took IT&S courses made cumulative progress in terms of CPSE, CPA and CT variables compared to those who did not. The obtained results are discussed within the framework of middle school IT & S course curriculum held in Turkey in 2018.