Integrating Mathematical Thinking, Abstract Thinking, and Computational Thinking

In recent years, several groups of Computer Science educators have made a sustained effort to capture the essence of CS apart from programming. Three of these approaches are Mathematical Thinking, Abstract Thinking, and Computational Thinking. Each approach tries to clarify areas of CS that are not directly tied to writing computer programs. In a separate line of research, the current authors have been examining different ways to teach mathematics to CS students. We developed a Computational Math scale that measures the level of problem-solving gestalt exhibited by textbook authors. In this study, we relate our Computational Math framework to current research on Mathematical, Abstract, and Computational (MAC) Thinking. We counted words used frequently in research articles and compared them to words that form the Computational Math scale. Our results suggest an overall MAC Thinking framework that integrates a wide range of topics relevant to computing and programming.