In the following research review, 57 articles were analysed to get an insight into research in the field of computational thinking and programming in K–12. The results show that empirical research regarding programming and computational thinking is prevalent in the USA and Greece. The articles were published in 43 different academic journals. A fast-growing number of articles published in the research field during 2006–18 indicate growing interest. The articles were analysed and clustered into seven strands: 1) Evaluating digital resources, 2) Assessment, 3) Improving students’ academic performance through programming, 4) Gender and equity, 5) Games – as a method to learn programming, 6) Attitudes and motivations, and 7) Teachers’ competencies and teaching. An extensive focus is on the evaluation of different technical solutions as well as pedagogical methods. Implications for teaching and learning programming and developing computational thinking skills are discussed.

In this study, the aim is to explore what genres can be found in applications used in preschool as a way to facilitate preschool teachers’ informed choices and raise awareness concerning the importance of choosing digital content carefully. In particular, applications that facilitate communication beyond a verbal majority language are in focus in this study. The research questions concern what the affordances are of applications used in preschool in relation to children’s agency and multilingual competencies and which kinds of genres that emerge from the applications’ affordances. Analyses of the applications were based on a social semiotic approach, in combination with the notion of translanguaging, taking into account many modes of communication, as well as different languages. The results illustrate how affordances include possibilities to listen to several spoken languages, opportunities to create documentation and produce stories in many different modes, including the verbal language of choice, but also restraints such as lack of opportunities for children’s agency in some applications with more closed composition. 10 genres are proposed which consist of three monolingual app-genres: talking picture books, storytelling and games, and seven app-genres that allow for several languages: talking picture books in more languages, multilingual storytelling, storytelling with recording possibilities, boardgames with recording possibilities, communication apps, draw-and-record apps and documentation apps. Conclusions highlight the importance of careful selection when choosing digital content in educational settings for younger children and that some of the app-genres proposed could be seen as facilitating digital pedagogical translanguaging.

This study examined the potential for children’s multilingual development supported by a digital e-book application (Polyglutt) used in Swedish preschools. The analysis focused on the app’s software design and the reflections of 17 preschool teachers in a large Swedish city, many of whom work with multilingual groups of children. A social semiotic perspective of multimodality was utilized to evaluate the app’s potential and a qualitative content analysis was employed to analyse the interviews. Findings indicated that the app was popular among the teachers and was considered an efficient tool for read-aloud activities, although the potential for multilingual purposes was rarely realized. The analysis shows that the app has potential for multilingual interaction, yet the design does not always make this clearly visible. Didactic implications of the use of the application are critically discussed.

Barn har rätt att utveckla sitt modersmål såväl som det svenska språket. Men hur kan förskolan uppnå dessa mål om pedagogerna inte talar barnens språk? Digitala resurser kan vara ett viktigt hjälp­medel för att skapa just flerspråkiga aktiviteter. När barn får bidra i förskolans sociala samvaro, med alla sina språk, skapas också förutsättningar för ett demokratiskt arbetssätt där barnen blir aktiva deltagare. Med avstamp i olika forskningsprojekt beskriver författaren hur barns modersmål och nationella minoritetsspråk kan inkluderas i förskolans vardag med hjälp av digitala resurser. I boken ges en mängd handfasta råd kring praktiska arbetssätt men också aktiviteter som kan genomföras i personalgruppen för att diskutera, utveckla och förändra verksamheten. Boken avslutas med en omfattande förteckning över olika digitala resurser som kan användas tillsammans med barnen. Här finns förslag för de fem nationella minoritets­språken samt för ytterligare 80 språk.