Remixing as a Pathway to Computational Thinking

Abstract

Theorists and advocates of "remixing" have suggested that appropriation can act as a pathway for learning. We test this theory quantitatively using data from more than 2.4 million multimedia programming projects shared by more than 1 million users in the Scratch online community. First, we show that users who remix more often have larger repertoires of programming commands even after controlling for the numbers of projects and amount of code shared. Second, we show that exposure to computational thinking concepts through remixing is associated with increased likelihood of using those concepts. Our results support theories that young people learn through remixing, and have important implications for designers of social computing systems.

In Proceedings of the 19th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing (CSCW '16)

References in corpus (4)

• Computers Can't Give Credit: How Automatic Attribution Falls Short in an Online Remixing Community
• The Remixing Dilemma: The Trade-off Between Generativity and Originality
• ScratchR: Sharing User-generated Programmable Media
• The Cost of Collaboration for Code and Art: Evidence from a Remixing Community

Cited by in corpus (5)

• How Interest-Driven Content Creation Shapes Opportunities for Informal Learning in Scratch: A Case Study on Novices' Use of Data Structures
• From Hanging Out to Figuring It Out: Socializing Online as a Pathway to Computational Thinking
• Many Destinations, Many Pathways: A Quantitative Analysis of Legitimate Peripheral Participation in Scratch
• Exploring the Needs of Practising Musicians in Co-Creative AI Through Co-Design
• Empowering Children to Create AI-Enabled Augmented Reality Experiences