The Effect of the Unplugged Activities Method on Computational Thinking Skills in Elementary School Students
Abstract
Computational thinking skills are an important competency of the 21st century. This ability can train elementary school students to think logically, systematically, and independently in solving problems. This study aims to examine the effect of the application of the unplugged activities method combined with a guided inquiry model on the computational thinking ability of elementary school students. The study uses a quantitative approach with a quasi-experiment method and a nonequivalent control group design. The study subjects consisted of 42 students who were divided into an experimental group and a control group. Data collection was carried out using a written test in the form of description questions developed based on the four pillars of computational thinking, namely decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithms. The results of the independent t-test showed a significance value of 0.004, which was below the significance level of 0.05. This proves that there is a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group that is given different treatment. Thus, the combination of the unplugged activities method and the guided inquiry model has been proven to have an influence on the computational thinking ability of elementary school students.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Balai Besar Penjamin Mutu Pendidikan. (2025). Mengenal Berpikir Komputasional dan Manfaatnya bagi Siswa. Diambil dari https://bbpmpjateng.kemendikdasmen.go.id/mengenal-berpikir-komputasional-dan-manfaatnya-bagi-siswa/.
Bell, T., & Vahrenhold, J. (2018). CS Unplugged How Is It Used, and Does It Work? In Adventures between lower bounds and higher altitudes: Essays dedicated to Juraj Hromkovič on the occasion of his 60th birthday (Vol. 1, hal. 497–521). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98355-4.
BPS Statistics Indonesia. (2024). Proportion of Schools with Computer Access. Diambil dari https://www.bps.go.id/en/statisticstable/2/MTc5NiMy/propor tion-of-schools-with-computer-access.html.
Chen, P., Yang, D., Hosny, A., Metwally, S., Lavonen, J., & Wang, X. (2023). Fostering computational thinking through unplugged activities: A systematic literature review and meta ‑ analysis. International Journal of STEM Education, 10(1), 47. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40594-023-00434-7.
El Hamamsy, L., Chessel Lazzarotto, F., Bruno, B., Roy, D., Cahlikova, T., Chevalier, M., … Mondada, F. (2021). A computer science and robotics integration model for primary school: evaluation of a large-scale in-service K-4 teacher-training program. Education and Information Technologies (Vol. 26). Education and Information Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-020-10355-5.
Fitriyah, Y., Wahyudin, W., Nurhayati, H., & Febrianti, T. S. (2024). Indonesian Students Computational Thinking Performance Based on Level and Gender. International Journal of Pedagogy and Teacher Education, 8(1), 50–62. https://doi.org/10.20961/ijpte.v8i1.89464.
Hartono, C. P., Agustini, K., & Sudatha, I. G. W. (2025). Systematic Literature Review: Efektivitas Pembelajaran Pembelajaran Plugged dan Unplugged dalam Meningkatkan Kemampuan Berpikir Komputasional Siswa. JIIP: Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan, 8(1), 1043–1050. https://doi.org/10.54371/jiip.v8i1.6746.
Kementerian Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah. (2025). Naskah Akademik Pembelajaran Koding dan Kecerdasan Artifisial pada Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah.
Krisnawati, R., & Umam, R. K. (2025). Pemanfaatan Media Unplugged untuk Meningkatkan Pemahaman Konsep Komputasional Siswa Kelas VI SDN Bangkok Boyolali. CANGKAL: Jurnal Ilmu Sosial dan Humaniora, 1(2), 61–66.
Kurniasari, K., Hidayati, F., Kastur, A., Julianto, J., Rahmawati, E., & Suprayitno, S. (2025). Pengaruh Keterampilan Berpikir Reflektif terhadap Pemahaman IPA Siswa Kelas 5 Sekolah Dasar. DIDAKTIKA: Jurnal Pemikiran Pendidikan, 31(2), 356–365. https://doi.org/10.30587/didaktika.v31i2.10035.
Li, Y., Schoenfeld, A. H., DiSessa, A. A., Graesser, A. C., Benson, L. C., English, L. D., & Duschl, R. A. (2020). Computational Thinking Is More about Thinking than Computing. Journal for STEM Education Research, 3(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41979-020-00030-2.
Mebert, L., Barnes, R., Dalley, J., Gawarecki, L., Shafer, G., Slater, J., & Yezbick, E. (2020). Fostering student engagement through a real- world, collaborative project across disciplines and institutions. Higher Education Pedagogies, 5(1), 30–51. https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2020.1750306.
Mufidah, T. H., & Majid, N. W. A. (2024). Pengaruh Peningkatan Computational Thinking Siswa Kelas 5 melalui Pembelajaran Dasar Coding. Buletin Literasi Budaya Sekolah, 6(1), 22–37. https://doi.org/10.23917/blbs.v6i1.4231.
OECD. (2023). PISA 2022 Results (Volume I and II) - Country Notes: Indonesia. OECD Publishing. Diambil dari https://www.oecd.org/publication/pisa-2022-results/country-notes/malaysia-1dbe2061/.
Oliveira, A. M. De, Vaz-rebelo, P., & Bidarra, M. da G. (2025). Unplugged Activities in the Development of Computational Thinking with Poly-Universe. Multimodal Technologies and Interaction, 9(9), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3390/mti9090095.
Putri, T. A., Suriansyah, A., & Purwanti, R. (2023). Meningkatkan Motivasi Belajar dan Keterampilan Berpikir Kritis Siswa Menggunakan Model PETA PINTAR pada Siswa Sekolah Dasar. PENDASI: Jurnal Pendidikan Dasar Indonesia, 7(2), 287–309.
Sado, R. I., Dakabesi, D., & Aminatun, T. (2020). Efektivitas Model Pembelajaran Guided-Inquiry terhadap Kemampuan Berpikir Kritis dan Pemecahan Masalah. Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian dan Pengembangan, 5(6), 844–851. https://doi.org/10.17977/jptpp.v5i6.13666.
Sari, U., Tomuk, H., & Senturk, M. L. (2026). Inquiry Science Teaching Integrated with Unplugged Computational Thinking in Middle School: Development of Inquiry and Computational Thinking Skills. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-026-10324-6.
Syamsiah, N. O., Firmansyah, Y., Mustika, Y., Burhanudin, B., Gani, A., & Fitriani, N. (2024). Pengaruh Edukasi Unplugged Coding terhadap Kemampuan Computational Thinking Anak Usia Sekolah Dasar. VOX EDUKASI: Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan, 15(2), 365–373. https://doi.org/10.31932/ve.v15i2.4048.
UNESCO. (2024). Digital learning and transformation of education. Diambil dari https://www.unesco.org/en/digital-education/need-know?hub=84636.
Widodo, S., Cilviani, C., Rahayu, P., & Ramarumo, T. (2023). Elementary school students computational thinking skills in learning-based 3D-Geometry problem. IndoMath: Indonesia Mathematics Education, 6(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.30738/indomath.v6i1.48
World Economic Forum. (2022). The future of jobs report 2020. The Future of Jobs Report. Diambil dari https://www.weforum.org/reports/the-future-of-jobs-report-2020/digest.
Yuliana, N., Purwati, N., & Hanapi, H. (2022). Improving Students Logical Thinking Abilities And Learning Outcomes Through Guided Inquiry Model. Prisma Sains: Jurna Pengkajian Ilmu dan Pembelajaran Matematika dan IPA IKIP Mataram, 10(2), 345–351. https://doi.org/10.33394/j-ps.v10i2.4822.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.33096/eljour.v7i2.1635
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Elsa Mutmainah, Fitri Nuraeni, Nenden Permas Hikmatunisa
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Education and Learning Journal indexed by:
___________________________________________________________
Education and Learning Journal
ISSN : 2720-9156
Published by: Universitas Muslim Indonesia
Web : http://jurnal.fai.umi.ac.id/
Email : eljour@umi.ac.id
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0