IMPACT: An Unplugged Board Game to Introduce Programming Concepts in Primary Education

The IMPACT project presents an unplugged board game designed to introduce core programming concepts, including sequences, loops, conditions, and events, to students in grades 3 and 4 in Swiss primary education. The authors argue that a gap exists in early exposure to computational thinking, leaving students underprepared when formal programming begins in grade 5. The game, developed through an Educational Design Research approach, uses avatars, command cards, and progressively more complex levels to build programming logic before students work in syntax-based environments such as Scratch.

Development combined a structured literature review, interviews with four teachers, and feedback from two didactic experts. The prototype was then piloted across eight classes with 161 grade 4 students in the cantons of Zurich and Schwyz, over three lessons. Data collection included student focus groups, an online survey built on the Game Experience Questionnaire, and teacher post-interviews. Three of the six levels were tested during the pilot.

Preliminary results are reported as initial observations rather than completed analysis. Implementation succeeded in all classes, students could follow the rules with little support, and teachers gave consistently positive feedback, noting age-appropriateness and observable learning effects. All participating teachers expressed interest in using the game again. The authors explicitly state that final data analysis remains pending, so claims about learning outcomes are provisional.

Planned future work includes quantitative analysis, a hybrid digital version with a narrative layer, open educational resources and teacher guides, a further study with two to four classes, and a comparative study of transition to visual programming environments.