Improving ESL Writing Performance through Computational Thinking in Primary School: A Pilot Study

This study examined the integration of Computational Thinking (CT) principles into English as a Second Language (ESL) writing instruction to enhance primary school pupils’ writing performance. CT principles, including abstraction, decomposition, pattern recognition, generalisation, and evaluation, were embedded in writing lessons to support content development, organisation, and language use. A quasi-experimental design was employed involving 55 Year 4 pupils from a suburban primary school, divided into an experimental group (n = 27) and a control group (n = 28). The intervention was conducted over eight weeks, during which the experimental group received CT-integrated writing instruction, while the control group followed the standard Year 4 writing curriculum. The findings showed that the experimental group achieved significantly higher post-test writing performance than the control group (p < .001). The most substantial improvements were observed in content development and organisation, whereas improvements in language use were comparatively modest. Overall, the results indicate that integrating CT into ESL writing instruction is an effective pedagogical approach for improving primary pupils’ writing performance.