The Effects of Mediated Programming Instruction on Preschool Children's Self-Monitoring

Abstract
The effects of mediated Logo programming lessons on preschool childrens' comprehension monitoring was investigated in this study. Fourteen children of similar language ability, sex, and SES level were randomly assigned to either a Logo programming or a CAI control group. Logo students were presented eleven programming lessons during a three-week period. The CAI control students were exposed to computer games designed to teach prereading and math skills during the same time period. All children were taught individually or in pairs. Childrens' ability to detect embedded errors during a referential communication task was significantly greater after Logo training than after the CAI control training. Marginally significant posttest facilitation was evidenced on several other monitoring indexes for the Logo students. The importance of teacher mediation in computer programming instruction is emphasized in the discussion.