International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

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Coding and Computational Thinking Learning for Vocational Students: Issues and Challenges

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Coding is the act of writing code, whereas programming is the act of developing functional software or computer programs. A set of instructions or a set of rules expressed in a specific programming language are referred to as "computer code" in computer programming. Students pursuing certificates in vocational studies are now starting to learn about programming. At the lower secondary level, these students received preparation in computational thinking (CT). This concept paper identifies three primary problems with coding and computational thinking among vocational students: (i) CT's inadequate educational foundation; (ii) lack of interest in programming, and (iii) absence of measurement of CT literacy level in programming for vocational students. The uniqueness of this concept paper is in its ability to elaborate on coding challenges in programming and computational thinking abilities. The results of this study imply that screening should be done before bringing on new pupils. Attention should be taken to this article so that novice learners are better equipped to continue learning in a motivated way because they get the fundamentals of coding in programming. The aim of this research is to contribute to a better understanding of the problems and difficulties in teaching computational thinking and programming skills. Vocational colleges and Lead Trainers may engage collaboratively to create this proposed solution with the aim to provide interventions for students who are still novice to programming.
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