While computational thinking arises as an essential skill worldwide, formal primary and secondary education in Latin America rarely incorporates mechanisms to develop it in their curricula. The extent to which students in the region acquire computational thinking skills remains largely unknown. To start addressing this void, this article presents findings from a cross sectional study that characterizes the computational thinking abilities of incoming students at a Chilean university with a strong emphasis on STEM disciplines. Based on more than 500 responses, this study provides evidence of significant inequalities in computational thinking across gender, type of school (private or no), and prior programming knowledge. The discussion offers insights into how these disparities relate to contextual factors of the country, such as a highly socio-economically segregated educational system, public policies focused mainly on technology access, and heavy reliance on voluntary initiatives, to develop computational thinking. The findings can enlighten upcoming research endeavors and formulate strategies to create a more equitable field for students entering STEM degrees in nations facing similar circumstances.

中文翻译：

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智利 STEM 大学新生计算思维的不平等

虽然计算思维在全世界范围内已成为一项基本技能，但拉丁美洲的正规小学和中学教育很少将培养计算思维的机制纳入课程中。该地区学生获得计算思维技能的程度仍然很大程度上未知。为了开始解决这一空白，本文介绍了一项横断面研究的结果，该研究描述了智利一所重点关注 STEM 学科的大学新生的计算思维能力。这项研究基于 500 多项回复，提供了不同性别、学校类型（私立或私立）和先前编程知识之间的计算思维显着不平等的证据。讨论深入探讨了这些差异如何与该国的背景因素相关，例如社会经济高度隔离的教育体系、主要关注技术获取的公共政策以及严重依赖自愿倡议来发展计算思维。这些发现可以启发未来的研究工作，并制定策略，为面临类似情况的国家进入 STEM 学位的学生创造一个更公平的领域。