Conference Program

The proposed study articulates between two major issues in current educational discourse.

On the one hand it is the growing interest in Computational Thinking (CT) defined as “solving problems, designing systems and understanding of human behavior, using the fundamental concepts of computer science” (Wing, 2006). In particular, this study will focus on the CT subcomponent related to algorithms production and usage and its cross-disciplinary relevance into the educational domain (Popat & Starkey, 2019).

On the other hand this study relates to “Graphicacy”, namely the ability to produce and interpret graphics, as an underpinning skill for every educational background (Balchin & Coleman, 1966).

The relevance of both issues is confirmed by the attention paid by the internationally applied frameworks for K-12 computer science education (Association for Computing Machinery et al., 2016) and science education assessment (OECD, 2023).

This study will focus on algorithms defined as a finite number of steps to solve a problem (Louridas, 2020), their forms of representation (Merrill, 1980) and the flowchart in particular.

A narrative review of comparative studies will be included to assess the learning advantage granted by the algorithm's different forms of representation: flowchart, pseudocode, linear text, block-based tools (Giordano & Maiorana, 2015; Scanlan, 1989; Xinogalos, 2013).

This study will later review the evidence provided by recent neuroimaging studies in perception of the cartesian graphical space (Ciccione et al., 2023; Ciccione & Dehaene, 2026). The involvement of the visual system’s dorsal stream, known as the “how” pathway, and devoted to self spatial positioning and distance perception for purpose-oriented interactions is particularly relevant for this study, as well as the demonstrated long established graphicacy of the cartesian diagram (Perondi et al., 2025).

Calza & Perondi (2025) found that Reference Frame Systems have positive impact on understanding process compared to Rules of Composition System, e.g. flowchart. It could be hypothesized that a well established graphicacy of flowchart diagrams, leveraging on the discrete nature of the flowchart’s blocks, their function-based shape, their visuo-functional connection, may lead the flowchart to be reframed from mere rappresentative form and learning aid to operational device of epistemic relevance (De Toffoli, 2025) which activates “manipulative imagination" (De Toffoli & Giardino, 2014).