A reading model of English as a foreign language accommodated by programming-oriented computational thinking: An interdisciplinary approach

Instructional designs simultaneously targeting the development of computational thinking (CT) skills and English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) knowledge have been implemented. However, such designs lack basic support from neurological findings. This study invited 40 Chinese university students with programming experience to participate in the quasi-experiment, in which a C-like code fragment reading was employed to simulate learners’ CT activity and a 3-sentence passage reading task was used to present learners’ EFL reading process. A between-group design was employed, where 20 participants were required to complete the reading task directly, while the remaining 20 were asked to complete the reading task after a code reading task (CRT). Their brain functions were monitored using a functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) device. Both statistical and machine learning methods were applied to analyse participants’ behavioural and neurological data. The results showed that learners unconsciously released the brain regions important for Chinese EFL learners when processing English, even when carrying out code reading task with English-like form. They also exhibited decreased overall synchronisation, as code reading demanded fewer cognitive resources than English comprehension. The EFL-CT model identified that the activation of the right Broca’s area and the synchronisation of the left fusiform gyrus-centred network were the two most important features influencing learners’ response time. These findings yielded pedagogical suggestions for educators integrating CT into EFL instruction.