Integrating Japanese Festival Traditions into Computational Thinking: A Culturally Responsive Approach to Micro:Bit-based Physical Computing

The current pre-tertiary educational landscape in Japan is defined by a significant paradox. While technological infrastructure has reached unprecedented levels of saturation through the Global and Innovation Gateway for All (GIGA) School initiative, student engagement and qualitative learning outcomes in computational disciplines have shown signs of stagnation. This research addresses this disparity by proposing a framework grounded in Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT) and Culturally Responsive Computing (CRC), utilizing the traditional Japanese festival game of Shateki (target shooting) as a primary pedagogical vehicle. By leveraging the BBC micro:bit and a modular physical computing architecture, this study demonstrates how situating abstract programming concepts, such as sequential logic, conditional branching, and signal modulation, within familiar “vernacular” and “heritage” cultural contexts can foster intrinsic motivation and improve academic achievement among K-12 students. Through a pilot evaluation conducted during a community festival, this study provides quantitative evidence that CRT-based interventions not only enhance technical proficiency but also bolster a sense of student agency and cultural belonging. The results suggest that the success of modern educational technology initiatives depends less on hardware distribution and more on the pedagogical translation of technical content into culturally meaningful experiences.

@article{Sugiyama2026,
  title     = {Integrating Japanese Festival Traditions into Computational Thinking: A Culturally Responsive Approach to Micro:Bit-based Physical Computing},
  journal   = {International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications},
  volume    = {17},
  number    = {2},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {The Science and Information Organization},
  author    = {Daiki Sugiyama and M. Fahim Ferdous Khan and Ken Sakamura},
  doi       = {10.14569/IJACSA.2026.0170244},
  url       = {https://doi.org/10.14569/IJACSA.2026.0170244}
}