Understanding Computational Thinking in the Gameplay of the African Songo Board Game

Authors

Rebecca Y. Bayeck, Utah State UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

British Journal of Educational Technology

Author ORCID Identifier

Rebecca Y. Bayeck https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8352-7331

Publisher

Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Publication Date

6-23-2023

First Page

1

Last Page

18

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Abstract

Computational thinking is a necessary skill for the 21st century. While previously examined in computer-rich settings, researchers are increasingly studying computational thinking in unplugged environments such as board games. Focusing on the African board game Songo, this study shows that computational thinking practices are embedded in Songo board gameplay and interact with the cultural context. The study also reveals a computing practice peculiar to Songo gameplay, songoputation. This paper suggests that researchers can benefit from exploring computational thinking and computing practices beyond board games in western contexts.

Recommended Citation

Bayeck, R. Y. (2023). Understanding computational thinking in the gameplay of the African Songo board game. British Journal of Educational Technology, 00, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13353