Recent studies have revealed that the existing measurement methods related to computational thinking (CT) pivot on gauging thinking skills, recommending an extended understanding of CT as disposition. Disposition reflects inclination towards learning CT and indicates the interest to think intelligently about issues confronting them. Hence, the aim of this chapter is to assess students' affection towards learning CT as problem solving tool that can transform knowledge more productively. In the context of the affective domain, attitudes and beliefs can be regarded of as generic responses to something, the core quality of an emotion, feeling, mood, or temperament, and hence as affective mental activities. The framework of the CT disposition proposed in this chapter was developed based on tripartite classification of mental activities known as of trilogy of mind: cognitive, affective, and conative. The basic tenet of this chapter is aligned with the theoretical underpinnings of thinking dispositions which is expected to suit different contexts and needs.
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Individuals' interests in society have been swept up by technological breakthroughs. A computer or a computer science application today pervades every aspect of human life. People are now inquiring about three factors: science, technology, and society (Wing, 2006). Children of the Millennial generation are exposed to computers from an early age. Education in the twenty-first century must try to enhance young people's abilities to be skilled and confident when confronted with a variety of challenging situations. Furthermore, these kids aren't hesitant to experiment with technology and play with it. Researchers and educators required a technique to explicitly capture this skill. According to Bundy (2007), anyone attempting to comprehend the fast-paced twenty-first century must first comprehend Computational Thinking (CT). CT is a way of thinking that is widely viewed as a necessary talent for 21st-century students to develop in order to handle real-world problems effectively and efficiently.
The necessity of addressing computer science fundamentals in K-12 education is currently being emphasized (Barr & Stephenson, 2011; Wing, 2006; Yadav, Mayfield, Zhou, Hambrusch, & Korb, 2014). While there is a surge of attention in establishing CT among school students and a lot of money invested in CT projects, there are many challenges and constraints to overcome. Consequently, the education sector faces rising pressure to utilize computing technology to boost computational thinking in everyday lives. In a similar vein, urge for students to learn at least complementary skills of CT to become reflective participants as it is one of the contributing factors before entering the industry has risen worldwide. Students who learn CT may begin to discover correlations between academic disciplines and life outside of the classroom. However, an adaptation of CT concepts in everyday life are not going to be easy and require thorough study (Sondakh, Osman & Zainudin, 2020a). The last decade's focus on integrating CT has been on skill integration in students with only little prominence about their perception, feeling or attitude towards the application of CT in problem solving across various discipline or specifically in daily life (Sondakh, Osman & Zainudin., 2020b). Thus, development of an instrument to measure students’ disposition towards CT critically required.
While it is crucial to provide students with interesting and worthwhile topics, this “content curriculum” should be complemented by attention to attitudes, values and learning habits that are built (or diminished) as a result of the process. They are ready, willing, and able to engage in profitable learning, as we have characterized them. These attributes, in whole or part, have been variously called dispositions (Katz, 1993; Perkins et al., 1993) orientations (Dweck, 1999), habits of mind (Costa & Kallick, 2009) and participation repertoires (Carr, 2001; Comber, 2000). Recent research has demonstrated that conventional CT measurement methods are based on assessing thinking skills, advocating a more comprehensive understanding of CT as a disposition.