This study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of CT skills for schoolchildren, encompassing recent research findings and initiatives at grassroots and policy levels. The ultimate goal is to better understand the core concepts and attributes of CT as a key competence for schoolchildren, and its potential for compulsory education. The specific objectives of CompuThink are to:

• thoroughly and comprehensively review definitions and frameworks of CT skills in the context of compulsory education (i.e. primary, secondary and initial VET schools);
• analyse and synthesise findings generated by grassroots and policy initiatives for the development of CT skills in schoolchildren, inside and outside formal education settings;
• document the developments in the CT field that are most significant for compulsory education in Europe and provide a comprehensive synthesis of evidence, including implications for policy and practice.

The study follows a mostly qualitative approach that comprises four main components:

• an extensive desk research that draws on a wide range of data sources, including both academic and grey literature (e.g. journal papers, reports, blogs, etc.);
• survey of Ministries of Education (MOEs) in Europe and beyond in order to gain access to documents of special relevance (e.g. curricula, guidelines) for further analysis;
• semi-structured interviews providing insights from experts, practitioners and policy makers;
• integration of key data into a coherent whole.