The development of computational thinking skills is attracting attention worldwide. The
use of visual or block-based coding in primary schools has gained momentum. Yet, students’
acceptance of such coding environments has been neglected in the literature. This
study presents a measurement instrument that will allow pursuing such an endeavor. The
Technology Acceptance Model was used as a guiding framework. A panel of eight experts
and a purposive sample of 315 elementary school students (Mage = 10.18 years, SD = 1.13)
were recruited. Inter-rater agreement between experts (75–100%) confirmed the content
validity of the items. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a three-factor solution of 12
items measuring perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and attitudes towards visual
coding. Inspection of the correlation matrix provided evidence of convergent and discriminant
validity. Cronbach’s alpha (.75–.82), McDonald’s omega (.68–.83), and Spearman-
Brown’s split-half coefficients (.67–.80) provided evidence of reliability. Overall, findings
support the validity and reliability of the proposed instrument. Its use can shed light on
students’ acceptance of different block-based coding environments.
