HAFİF DÜZEY ZİHİNSEL YETERSİZLİĞİ OLAN ORTAOKUL ÖĞRENCİLERİNE YÖNELİK KODLAMA ÖĞRETİMİNİN ALGORİTMİK DÜŞÜNME BECERİSİNE ETKİSİ

Abstract

The development of cognitive and life skills in individuals with intellectual disabilities helps increase their independence and enables them to become more active participants in society. In this context, coding education is important for improving students' algorithmic thinking skills and enhancing their ability to solve problems encountered in daily life. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of coding instruction provided through direct teaching methods on middle school students with mild intellectual disabilities, focusing specifically on their acquisition of algorithmic thinking skills, generalization of these skills to robotic coding, and retention of learning. The study was carried out with three middle school students diagnosed with mild intellectual disabilities using a single-subject research design, specifically the multiple baseline across participants model. The findings indicate that the participants acquired algorithmic thinking skills through coding instruction and were able to maintain these skills two and five weeks after the instruction was completed. Furthermore, the students successfully generalized the learned skills to robotic coding. The social validity results, based on interviews with students and teachers, indicated that the instructional process was engaging for the students and positively evaluated by the teachers. These results demonstrate that coding education contributes to the development of students with intellectual disabilities and provides valuable insights for future research and applications in this field.