Abstract There is an increasing emphasis on teaching young learners to code; yet, there are few tools designed to measure the effect of learning to code on children. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a tool to assess changes in young learners' attitudes toward coding: the Elementary Student Coding Attitudes Survey (ESCAS). We validated the scale using Confirmatory Factory Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling with responses from over 6000 4th-6th grade students (aged 9–12 years). Survey validation revealed a scale consisting of five constructs that comprise young learners' attitudes toward coding: social value, coding confidence, coding interest, perception of coders, and coding utility. In our analysis, students' grade level, ethnicity, gender, coding frequency, coding experience, and math interest influenced social value, which in turn influenced coding interest, perception of coders, and coding utility. Students' math confidence, coding frequency, coding experience, ethnicity, and coding interest predicted their coding confidence. Among observable variables, coding frequency and math interest had the greatest influence on social value, which substantially influenced all other factors. We discuss how this tool can help those who teach coding to young children to better measure and understand the variables that may influence young learners’ attitudes toward coding over time.

中文翻译：

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小学生编码态度调查的发展与分析

摘要 人们越来越重视教年轻学习者编程。然而，很少有工具可以用来衡量学习编码对儿童的影响。本研究的目的是开发和验证一种工具来评估年轻学习者对编码的态度的变化：小学生编码态度调查 (ESCAS)。我们使用验证性工厂分析和结构方程模型对超过 6000 名 4-6 年级学生（9-12 岁）的回答进行了验证。调查验证揭示了一个由五个结构组成的量表，这些结构包含年轻学习者对编码的态度：社会价值、编码信心、编码兴趣、编码者的感知和编码效用。在我们的分析中，学生的年级、种族、性别、编码频率、编码经验、数学兴趣影响社会价值，进而影响编码兴趣、编码者的感知和编码效用。学生的数学信心、编码频率、编码经验、种族和编码兴趣预测了他们的编码信心。在可观察变量中，编码频率和数学兴趣对社会价值的影响最大，对所有其他因素都有实质性的影响。我们讨论了这个工具如何帮助那些教幼儿编码的人更好地衡量和理解随着时间的推移可能影响幼儿对编码的态度的变量。在可观察变量中，编码频率和数学兴趣对社会价值的影响最大，对所有其他因素都有实质性的影响。我们讨论了这个工具如何帮助那些教幼儿编码的人更好地衡量和理解随着时间的推移可能影响幼儿对编码的态度的变量。在可观察变量中，编码频率和数学兴趣对社会价值的影响最大，对所有其他因素都有实质性的影响。我们讨论了这个工具如何帮助那些教幼儿编码的人更好地衡量和理解随着时间的推移可能影响幼儿对编码的态度的变量。