Marcus Specht

About

Marcus Specht is a leading researcher in computational thinking (CT) education, with a particular focus on how young learners develop algorithmic reasoning through robotics and programming. His work centers on Sense-Reason-Act (SRA) programming, a framework he has shown to be instrumental in advancing CT skills beyond basic coding. Specht’s studies demonstrate that SRA programming—especially when pupils must anticipate dynamic changes in a problem environment—significantly boosts self-efficacy and deeper computational thinking. His most cited paper (65 citations) examines how Lego robotics and different instruction types influence algorithmic thinking in primary schools, while subsequent work (19 and 11 citations) explores SRA’s impact across visual programming and output modalities. Specht also ventures into human-robot interaction, investigating how social robots can enhance attentive e-reading (6 citations). His recent research critically examines gender and social stereotypes in children’s programming books, revealing how illustrations in Scratch and Python texts may discourage girls from computer science. Across his portfolio, Specht’s contributions bridge cognitive development, educational technology, and equity, making him a key voice in shaping how computational thinking is taught to the next generation.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   The influence of SRA programming on algorithmic thinking and self-efficacy using Lego robotics in two types of instruction

   65 citations · 2019
2. 2
   The Impact of SRA-Programming on Computational Thinking in a Visual Oriented Programming Environment

   19 citations · 2021
3. 3
   Effect of SRA-programming on computational thinking through different output modalities

   11 citations · 2022
4. 4
   Can We Empower Attentive E-reading with a Social Robot? An Introductory Study with a Novel Multimodal Dataset and Deep Learning Approaches

   6 citations · 2023
5. 5
   The Effect on Computational Thinking Using SRA-Programming: Anticipating Changes in a Dynamic Problem Environment

   4 citations · 2022
6. 6
   HoloLearn: Towards a Hologram Mediated Hybrid Education

   3 citations · 2023
7. 7
   Gender, Social Interactions and Interests of Characters Illustrated in Scratch and Python Programming Books for Children

   3 citations · 2024

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links