AI助手帮孩子把创意想法变成可运行的代码。
Scratch Copilot: Supporting Youth Creative Coding with AI
- 在积木式编程环境内嵌实时AI助手，支持创作、生成、调试和资源创建。
- 18名7-12岁儿童参与测试，发现AI显著助力创意构思与错误排查。
- 强调儿童对AI的主动控制权，适合关注儿童创造力培养的研究者。
创意编程平台如Scratch已让儿童轻松接触编程，但将想象转化为有效代码仍是主要挑战。尽管AI助手机器人能辅助成人程序员，针对儿童的块状编程环境工具却寥寥无几。基于先前研究，我们提出Cognimates Scratch Copilot：一个集成于类Scratch环境的AI助手，提供实时创意启发、代码生成、调试及素材创建支持。本文详述系统架构，并通过18名国际儿童（7–12岁）的探索性定性评估呈现初步发现。分析显示，该AI助手在创意构思与调试环节发挥了关键作用；更重要的是，孩子们表现出强烈的使用自主性，会主动采纳或拒绝建议以保持创作主导权。互动中也暴露出支架支持与独立解决问题之间的设计张力，以及应对AI局限与错误带来的学习契机。结果表明，Cognimates Scratch Copilot有潜力提升儿童的创造性自信心与参与度。据此，我们提出首批设计指南，强调在提供支持性脚手架的同时，必须保障儿童的主体性和批判性交互能力。
原文摘要 · Abstract (English)
Creative coding platforms like Scratch have democratized programming for children, yet translating imaginative ideas into functional code remains a significant hurdle for many young learners. While AI copilots assist adult programmers, few tools target children in block-based environments. Building on prior research \cite{druga_how_2021,druga2023ai, druga2023scratch}, we present Cognimates Scratch Copilot: an AI-powered assistant integrated into a Scratch-like environment, providing real-time support for ideation, code generation, debugging, and asset creation. This paper details the system architecture and findings from an exploratory qualitative evaluation with 18 international children (ages 7--12). Our analysis reveals how the AI Copilot supported key creative coding processes, particularly aiding ideation and debugging. Crucially, it also highlights how children actively negotiated the use of AI, demonstrating strong agency by adapting or rejecting suggestions to maintain creative control. Interactions surfaced design tensions between providing helpful scaffolding and fostering independent problem-solving, as well as learning opportunities arising from navigating AI limitations and errors. Findings indicate Cognimates Scratch Copilot's potential to enhance creative self-efficacy and engagement. Based on these insights, we propose initial design guidelines for AI coding assistants that prioritize youth agency and critical interaction alongside supportive scaffolding.
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