Abstract:

As a basic accomplishment for children to face, adapt to the future and transform the future, programming has been constantly paid more and more attention to and attached importance to. However, how much educational value it has, for this reason, many scholars have carried out a large number of experiments and quasi-experimental studies based on the individual development of children, but the results are not the same. The question of whether programming can actually promote the individual development of children remains a subject of academic debate. Based on this, this study uses the meta-analysis method to quantitatively analyze 28 foreign experiments and quasi-experimental studies on the influence of programming on the individual development of children. It is found that: (1) overall, the combined effect size of the included studies is 0.61, which is in the upper-middle level, indicating that programming can positively promote the individual development of children; (2) specifically, programming can significantly and positively promote students’ cognitive development, behavioral development and emotional development; (3) compared with primary schools and preschools, programming plays a more prominent role in children’s separate development in middle schools; (4) compared with medium-term and long-term programming activities, short-term programming activities have a more significant promoting effect on children’s individual development; (5) programming has a greater effect on children’s individual development in small-scale samples than in medium and large samples; (6) different programming forms have different effects, among which unplugged programming has a more significant effect on children’s individual development. Based on the findings of the research conclusions, it is expected to provide reference for the future research and practice of programming for children in China.

Key words: children programming, individual development, meta-analysis, effect size