Abstract

The main objective of this article is to present the results of experiments in teaching and learning using an object-oriented programming language. This experiment was performed on students of two secondary schools, one from the city of Viña del Mar and another one from the city of Linares, both in Chile. The experiment showed the potential effects of developing the logic and algorithmic thinking of high school students. This article describes the main properties of the Scratch programming language, as well as its potential advantages to develop the logic and algorithmic thinking of students in Chile, compared to traditional programming languages. Furthermore, this article shows that to perform each of the experiments, practices with the Scratch and its interface is needed. Finally, this work presents the results of the applied experiments and highlights the potential positive impact of using Scratch and developing the algorithmic thinking of students in Chile, before entering the university.