Today there is an increasing demand by companies, governments, and society for people who know how to think computationally (i.e., think critically, logically, and solve problems in innovative ways using computational tools) (Wing, 2006; National Academy of Sciences, 2010), in order to be competitive in the knowledge economy. Educational video game design has shown potential in helping to prepare youth with skills germane to computational thinking, and the so-called STEM disciplines whose practices heavily rest on computation (Games, 2010; Hayes and Games, 2008). The potential has been recognized by the White House's efforts (White House, 2009) to support educational video game design, including sponsoring national game design contests and encouraging programs that teach computational thinking. This study examined one such program, Globaloria, whose goal is to foster computational thinking and STEM skills and concepts in middle school students by immersing them in a game design discourse, using Adobe Flash as the platform for developing these games.Using a theoretical framework developed by Games (2010) to study thinking in the context of game design, and case study methodology supported by multimodal content and discourse analyses, the study examined the evolution of 15 students' computational thinking (specifically, the dimension of Decomposition) as a function of their changes in language use, design strategies, and game artifact production. Findings suggest that a scaffolded game design-based curriculum can provide an effective context for students to develop computational thinking and deep understandings and engagement with STEM subjects, all while in forms valued within the 21st century workplace.
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