Culture in Design of Coding Toolkits for Young Learners in Developing Economies in Africa: A Review

Abstract

With the increasing importance and demand of coding skills in today’s digital world, developing economies in Africa are putting every effort to include coding education in their educational curriculum. However, the existing coding toolkits for young learners have different cultural orientation making it hard to learn and use thereby making coding education programs and learning outcomes ineffective. The aim of the study was to carry out systematic literature review with particular emphasis on learning environment and pedagogy, use of local language and gender related norms and explored the potential challenges with recommendations in building culturally responsive coding kits. It was found out that the design of culturally responsive coding toolkits has the potential to improve the accessibility, affordability, relevance and effectiveness of coding education for young learners in developing economies in Africa contributing to more effective coding education and therefore helping to bridge the digital divide.