Exploring the Role of Grounded Cognition in Physical Computing: A Thematic Synthesis

Physical computing activities are often used as a context for teaching programming to learners aged 9 - 13. Students’ cognitive processes in these sensory-rich, tactile activities may be grounded not only in classical cognitive architecture but also in bodily, environmental and modal information. However, less is known about the extent to which this information contributes towards students’ conceptual understanding of programming constructs such as selection and loops. To address this gap, we use a qualitative method for systematic literature reviews called thematic synthesis to conduct a review of relevant literature. Thirty-seven empirical studies were analysed against a grounded cognition framework called the Situated Action Cycle to explore how students’ cognition may be grounded in self-relevant, affective and sensorimotor information. Results confirmed that physical computing activities are often contextualised in real-world scenarios, and that most learners find these activities enjoyable. Yet, students also struggled to move from concrete to formal representations of artefacts, and some experienced demotivational negative emotions before and during the activities. Our findings have implications for teachers and resource developers, highlighting the importance of leveraging sensorimotor information when creating physical computing artefacts, and incorporating interoceptive and self-regulatory strategies to support learners’ emotional experiences. Overall, this work offers insights into designing more effective physical computing learning experiences by grounding students’ cognitive mechanisms in modalities, the body and the social and physical environment.