How young children engage in and shift between reference frames when playing with coding toys

Abstract This research explores reference frames and reference frame shifts among young children (ages 5 and 6) as they are learning to program with a commercial coding toy. To date, little is known about reference frames used by young children in toy-based coding. Video recordings of 16 children engaging in two programming tasks were collected. Results from an analysis of 240 min of video data indicate that young children engage in shifts of reference frames when learning to program, however, young children do not have a precise coordination system. The present study proposes two additional reference frames, ProtoEgocentric and ProtoAllocentric, that allow for the consideration of developmental imprecision in children. The most common reference frame shift observed was ProtoAllocentric to ProtoEgocentric, which accounted for 47.4% of all shifts across sites and contexts. Three cases are presented to illustrate reference frame shifts and how children’s developmental imprecision affects their experience.