Aworinde, Halleluyah O.

Leveraging Project-Based Learning to Narrow the Educational Divide in Africa: A Computer Science Perspective

By Sakpere, Aderonke B.

In the last two decades, significant attention has been directed towards understanding and promoting Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and career choices in Western countries, leading to the implementation of various interventions. However, a noticeable gap exists in research and interventions tailored to promoting STEM-based careers in Africa, particularly in countries like Nigeria. This study addresses the gap by proposing a Project-Based Learning (PBL) approach, complemented by design thinking principles, to enhance STEM education in Africa. Scratch, a visual programming language, was used for the prototyping phase of their design thinking process. The study evaluated the impact of problem-based and collaborative learning pedagogies on participants’ problem-solving skills, creativity, career aspirations, and overall interest in technology in the African context. Twenty-six individuals participated in the boot camp, and the assessment was conducted using the Problem-Solving Belief Survey scales. Thematic analysis was applied to these qualitative responses. The results showed that design thinking had a highly positive impact on their problem-solving skills while none strongly disagreed. 77.3% of the participants strongly agreed that using scratch improved their creativity and innovation skills. These findings underline the potential of visual programming languages to engage and empower young learners, making coding and technology more accessible and appealing. This demonstrates that the program improved their digital literacy and confidence in utilizing technology. Furthermore, the findings inform strategies for promoting STEM education in non-western contexts, fostering inclusivity, and breaking gender stereotypes. © 2024 by the authors.