As a cognitive ability computational thinking describes a specific way of algorithmic reasoning building on concepts and processes derived from computer programming/coding. Recently, computational thinking was argued to be a fundamental and educationally relevant 21st century skill that should be fostered already in childhood. Accordingly, we developed three life-size board games – Crabs & Turtles: A Series of Computational Adventures – aimed at providing an unplugged and low-threshold introduction to computational thinking. In particular, the games aimed at introducing basic coding concepts and computational thinking processes to 8 to 9-year-old primary school children. In the current study, we first describe the design of the games in detail to explicate the development process and allow for reproducibility. We then report on a first empirical evaluation of feasibility and user experience of our educational board games in a two-phase approach. We conducted quantitative analyses of player experience and qualitative feedback of adult student participants (Phase 1) and a sample of gamification experts and teachers (Phase 2). We examined users’ game experience with an adult population to ensure the game’s appropriateness. Results indicated overall positive game experience for all three games. Future studies would be desirable, which should evaluate player experience and learning outcomes in the primary target population of children.

中文翻译：

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通过棋盘游戏训练计算思维：以螃蟹和海龟为例

作为一种认知能力，计算思维描述了一种基于从计算机编程/编码派生的概念和过程的算法推理的特定方式。最近，计算思维被认为是21世纪一项与教育息息相关的基本技能，应该在儿童时代就已经培养出来。因此，我们开发了三种与真人大小的棋盘游戏-螃蟹和海龟：一系列计算冒险-旨在为计算思维提供一个不插电且低门槛的介绍。特别是，这些游戏旨在向8到9岁的小学生介绍基本的编码概念和计算思维过程。在当前的研究中，我们首先详细描述游戏的设计，以阐明开发过程并实现可复制性。然后，我们采用两阶段方法对我们的教育桌游的可行性和用户体验进行首次实证评估。我们对成年学员（第1阶段）和游戏化专家和教师样本（第2阶段）的玩家体验和定性反馈进行了定量分析。我们检查了成年人的用户游戏体验，以确保游戏的适用性。结果表明所有三场比赛的总体积极游戏体验。未来的研究将是可取的，它应该评估主要目标儿童群体的玩家体验和学习成果。我们对成年学员（第1阶段）和游戏化专家和教师样本（第2阶段）的玩家体验和定性反馈进行了定量分析。我们检查了成年人的用户游戏体验，以确保游戏的适用性。结果表明所有三场比赛的总体积极游戏体验。未来的研究将是可取的，它应该评估主要目标儿童群体的玩家体验和学习成果。我们对成年学员（第1阶段）和游戏化专家和教师样本（第2阶段）的玩家体验和定性反馈进行了定量分析。我们检查了成年人的用户游戏体验，以确保游戏的适用性。结果表明所有三场比赛的总体积极游戏体验。未来的研究将是可取的，它应该评估主要目标儿童群体的玩家体验和学习成果。