Cultivating Creativity and Improving Coding Skills in Primary School Students via Domain-General and Domain-Specific Learning Scaffoldings

Abstract

The transformative wave of generative AI is reshaping the creative thinking processes of learners, posing a significant challenge to education and industry in cultivating technological literacy and creativity. This study delves into the exploration of how learners can effectively tackle new challenges by deconstructing fragments from a macro perspective and generating innovative methods or concepts. In the Scratch visual programming environment, learners in the self-regulated learning mode observed entire functioning projects, facilitating easy disassembly and learning, namely by using Code Decomposed by Learner (CDBL). A total of 104 fifth-grade students were divided into two learning scaffoldings: (1) domain-general, learning from the top down (CDBL-TD), and (2) domain-specific, learning from the bottom up (CDBL-BU). Students in the CDBL-TD group exhibited a high degree of completion, strong exploration abilities, and the willingness to experiment with unlearned functions. Although there was no significant difference in originality between the two groups, students in the CDBL-TD group showcased greater uniqueness in designing characters or items within the game. This study introduces a novel programming learning scaffolding, offering instructors a tool to guide students’ creativity and enhance their programming capabilities.