3CPEs: Concrete Computational Concepts Programming Environments for Elementary Computer Science Education

This study introduces the Concrete Computational Concepts Programming Environments (3CPEs), an innovative approach designed to help elementary students grasp abstract computational concepts through concrete metaphors using tangible and everyday objects. Traditional programming environments for children focus on concrete programming language syntax and semantics yet often fall short in conveying advanced computational concepts. To address this gap, 3CPEs combine the hands-on appeal of computer-science unplugged activities with the versatility of programming environments, using familiar objects and gamified elements to visualize abstract computational and algorithmic ideas. An example is CT (Computational Thinking) Chef, a 3CPEs implementation to enhance elementary students' understanding of programming concepts. Through design workshops with five elementary programming teachers, we preliminarily identified teaching challenges and evaluated 3CPEs' efficacy as an educational tool. The feedback underscores CT Chef's potential in facilitating the teaching of intricate computational concepts for young learners.