Beyond Coding: Effects of a Computing Curriculum on Preschoolers' Computational Thinking, Math, Language, and Social-Emotional Skills.

This article reports on a cluster randomized controlled trial evaluating the effects of the Story-Inspired Robot Programming (SIRP) curriculum, a preschool computing education program integrating picture book pedagogy and programmable robotics, on computational thinking (CT) and school readiness skills among 360 Hong Kong preschoolers. Results showed mixed effects: the curriculum significantly improved children’s spatial skills and social-emotional competencies, particularly emotional regulation and prosocial behaviors, but had no significant impact on overall CT or numeracy, and limited effects on language outcomes. Notably, children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) families benefited more in CT and prosocial skills, while higher-SES children showed greater gains in spatial reasoning, indicating SES moderates the intervention’s effectiveness. The study highlights the potential of early computing education to support certain developmental domains and reduce educational disparities, while suggesting the need for balanced curricula that also address traditional academic skills.