Chen Chen, Jonathan Rothwell, Pedrito Maynard-Zhang
{"title":"In-school and/or out-of-school computer science learning influence on CS career interests, mediated by having role-models","authors":"Chen Chen, Jonathan Rothwell, Pedrito Maynard-Zhang","doi":"10.1080/08993408.2023.2290435","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2023.2290435","url":null,"abstract":"Both in- and out-of-school computer science (CS) learning opportunities are expanding, but their influences on CS career interests are unclear.To investigate, we applied multinomial propensity scor...","PeriodicalId":45844,"journal":{"name":"Computer Science Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139053338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Transforming computer science education: exploration of computer science interest and identity of historically underrepresented youth","authors":"Cassie F. Quigley, Danielle Herro, Holly Plank, Aileen Owens, Oluwadara Abimbade","doi":"10.1080/08993408.2023.2292905","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2023.2292905","url":null,"abstract":"Historically underrepresented youth in computer science persistently experience barriers making it difficult to see themselves in the computer science field including computer science programs and ...","PeriodicalId":45844,"journal":{"name":"Computer Science Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138685505","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Learning to program as empirical inquiry: using a conversation perspective to explore student programming processes","authors":"Kristina Litherland, Anders Kluge","doi":"10.1080/08993408.2023.2290410","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2023.2290410","url":null,"abstract":"We explore the potential for understanding the processes involved in students’ programming based on studying their behaviour and dialogue with each other and “conversations” with their programs.Our...","PeriodicalId":45844,"journal":{"name":"Computer Science Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138567899","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anna van der Meulen, Mijke Hartendorp, Wendy Voorn, Felienne Hermans
{"title":"Observing the computational concept of abstraction in blind and low vision learners using the Bee-bot and Blue-bot","authors":"Anna van der Meulen, Mijke Hartendorp, Wendy Voorn, Felienne Hermans","doi":"10.1080/08993408.2023.2272232","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2023.2272232","url":null,"abstract":"In order to fully include learners with visual impairments in early programming education, it is necessary to gain insight into specificities regarding their experience of and approach to abstract ...","PeriodicalId":45844,"journal":{"name":"Computer Science Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2023-11-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138531672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The efficacy of a computer science curriculum for early childhood: evidence from a randomized controlled trial in K-2 classrooms","authors":"Dandan Yang, Zhanxia Yang, Marina Umaschi Bers","doi":"10.1080/08993408.2023.2279198","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2023.2279198","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTBackground and context Despite the growing importance of computer science (CS) education, high-quality CS curricula for students in kindergarten to lower elementary grades are lacking. It is also unclear how students from underrepresented groups such as female students, students from low socioeconomic status, and students with disability respond to CS curriculum at this age range.Objective This study is aimed to examine the effectiveness of a novel CS curriculum (Coding as Another Language – ScratchJr) on the development of programming and computational thinking skills for students in kindergarten to second grade classrooms.Method We conducted a randomized controlled trial with 1057 students and used multilevel regression analysis to examine the impact of the CAL curriculum on students’ coding and computational thinking skills, as well as moderation analysis to investigate how students’ demographic characteristics including gender, socioeconomic status, English learners and disability interacted with the intervention effectiveness.Findings The CAL curriculum was effective in improving students’ programming skills, but no significant differences were detected for students’ computational thinking skills. Students with limited English proficiency and students from low socioeconomic backgrounds achieved similar gain in coding skills but students with disabilities and female students did not demonstrate the same improvements as their peers.Implications These findings shed light on the educational efficacy of CAL as a promising CS curriculum for young children and underscore the importance of understanding how underrepresented minority students respond to the curriculum in order to better guide the development and design of the CS programs.KEYWORDS: computer science educationearly childhoodelementary schoolcomputational thinkingcurriculum AcknowledgmentsWe would like to express our appreciation to the students and teachers who participated in the study, as well as the research assistants and researchers at the DevTech Research group. We would like to also thank the Shaffer Evaluation Group for supervising and monitoring the study design, data collection and evaluation. Additionally, we extend our sincere gratitude to the Scratch Foundation for their invaluable support.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Supplementary materialSupplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2023.2279198Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the Department of Education IER program grant # U411C190006.","PeriodicalId":45844,"journal":{"name":"Computer Science Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135138479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Michael Lachney, Madison C. Allen Kuyenga, Jada Phelps, Aman Yadav, Matt Drazin
{"title":"“Everybody’s searching their roots”: centering Black nature-cultures of belonging in non-compulsory computer science education","authors":"Michael Lachney, Madison C. Allen Kuyenga, Jada Phelps, Aman Yadav, Matt Drazin","doi":"10.1080/08993408.2023.2268378","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2023.2268378","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTBackground & context Inspired by the nature-cultures of belonging from Black hair care, we conducted a design experiment to bridge computer science (CS) education, urban gardening, and cosmetology in a culturally responsive computing (CRC) library program.Objective The design was oriented around a small-scale aquaponics system to grow mint and lavender for making natural cosmetic products. We hypothesized that this could inform the design and implementation of computational thinking and computer programming educational activities.Methods We analyzed qualitative and quantitative data from the design experiment to theorize the processes of using the aquaponics system to enroll Black nature-cultures of belonging in the CRC program.Findings Given that the program supported children’s self-confidence in and knowledge of CS, nature-culture inspired CS education appears feasible.Implications Through respectful engagement with the discourses and practices of Black hair care, we provide insight into how nature-cultures can contribute to more diverse, inclusive, and pluralistic forms of CS education.KEYWORDS: Computer science educationculturally responsive computingnature-culturesBlack hair careaquaponics AcknowledgmentsWe would like to personally thank William Babbitt, Elizabeth LaPensée, Yolanda Rankin, and Jakita O. Thomas for their support of this work.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Ethical approvalAll procedures in this study that involved human subject research were approved by Michigan State University’s Institutional Review Board.Informed consentInformed consent was obtained from every individual who participated in this study.Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the Science+Society@State; Joe L. Byers and Lucy Bates-Byers Endowment for Technology and Curriculum.","PeriodicalId":45844,"journal":{"name":"Computer Science Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136185389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Towards a learning progression of sequencing and algorithm design for five- and six-years-old children engaging with an educational robot","authors":"Camilo Vieira, J. Chiu, B. Velasquez","doi":"10.1080/08993408.2023.2255058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2023.2255058","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTBackground and Context Computational thinking (CT) is a fundamental skill and a new form of literacy that everyone should develop to participate in civic society. Sequencing and algorithmic thinking are at the core of CT. This study looked into how young children enrolled in a kindergarten in Colombia develop CT skills.Objective This paper aims to develop a learning progression of sequencing and algorithm design for early childhood. This goal is complemented by identifying the challenges children face to advance into more sophisticated approaches to problem-solving using algorithmic thinking.Method Fourteen five- and six-year-old students participated in this study. These children participated in unplugged learning activities, and solved two sets challenges with the BeeBot. We used a grounded theory approach to analyze how they solved these algorithmic thinking activities and the challenges they faced in this process.Findings Our results suggest four increasingly sophisticated approaches to solving these activities: step-by-step, simple decomposition, advanced decomposition, and full algorithm design. We also found different challenges students faced when working on these activities. These challenges can relate to critical cognitive skills.Implications These results will enable educators to support student learning about CT. These results also open new questions about the relationship between cognitive skills and CT activities in early childhood.KEYWORDS: Computational thinkingearly childhoodlearning progressionsequencingalgorithmic thinkingvisuospatial skills AcknowledgmentsWe would like to thank Mariana Arboleda, Gabriela de la Rosa, Roxana Quintero, Britny Velasquez, Gisella Jassir, and Angélica Carrasquilla for all the data collection support.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationFundingThe work was supported by the Fulbright Colombia and Center for Global Inquiry and Innovation at theUniversity of Virginia.","PeriodicalId":45844,"journal":{"name":"Computer Science Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136012941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amanda Peel, Sugat Dabholkar, Gabriella Anton, Mike Horn, Uri Wilensky
{"title":"Characterizing changes in teacher practice and values through co-design and implementation of computational thinking integrated biology units","authors":"Amanda Peel, Sugat Dabholkar, Gabriella Anton, Mike Horn, Uri Wilensky","doi":"10.1080/08993408.2023.2265763","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2023.2265763","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTBackground and Context To better reflect the computational nature of STEM disciplines and deepen learning of science content computational thinking (CT) should be integrated in science curricula. Teachers have a critical role in supporting effective student learning with CT integrated curricula in classroom settings.Objective Our team worked with high school teachers to co-design and implement CT-integrated biology units.Method We use a model of professional growth and qualitative case studies to characterize changes in teacher practice and values through their involvement in co-design and implementation of a CT-integrated biology unit.Findings Teachers followed similar pathways of professional growth, but their participation and perceptions varied, resulting in three dimensions: 1) participation during design, 2) participation in co-design during implementation, and 3) perception of CT benefits related to student learning.Implications It is important to support teacher comfort and engagement in the co-design process in order to better facilitate professional growth and CT integration.KEYWORDS: Computational thinkingprofessional growthco-designsecondary teachersprofessional developmentin-service teachers AcknowledgmentsThis work was made possible through generous support from the National Science Foundation (grants DRL-1640201 and DRL-1842374) and the Spencer Foundation (Award #201600069). Any opinions, findings, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding organizations.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardy–Weinberg_principle2. https://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/making-fittest-natural-selection-and-adaptationAdditional informationFundingThis work was supported by the National Science Foundation [DRL-1640201 and DRL-1842374]; Spencer Foundation [201600069].","PeriodicalId":45844,"journal":{"name":"Computer Science Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134975708","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jamie Colwell, Amy Hutchison, Kristie Gutierrez, Jeff Offutt, Anya Evmenova
{"title":"Elementary teachers’ experiences in online professional development for literacy-focused computer science instruction for all learners","authors":"Jamie Colwell, Amy Hutchison, Kristie Gutierrez, Jeff Offutt, Anya Evmenova","doi":"10.1080/08993408.2023.2263831","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2023.2263831","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTBackground & Context This research focused on an online professional development (PD), the Inclusive Computer Science Model of PD, to support integrating computer science and computational thinking for all learners into K-5 literacy instruction.Objective This research was conducted to understand elementary teachers’ perceptions of the PD.Method We used a qualitative case study methodology to collect multiple sources of perception-focused data from 10 purposefully selected participants in the PD and used a general inductive approach to data analysis.Findings Three themes emerged that focus on teachers’ perceptions, with multiple considerations for how teachers viewed the concept of computer science, the potential for students with disabilities to participate in computer science instruction, and how they considered UDL in this instructionImplications Findings have implications for the potential of computer science integration into elementary literacy instruction and how teachers may independently use computer science instruction that supports all learners in their future teaching.KEYWORDS: Computer sciencecomputational thinkingliteracyelementary instructionprofessional development Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Award 1837380.","PeriodicalId":45844,"journal":{"name":"Computer Science Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135829403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Impact of reflection in auto-graders: an empirical study of novice coders","authors":"Fatima Abu Deeb, Timothy Hickey","doi":"10.1080/08993408.2023.2262877","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2023.2262877","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACTBackground and Context Auto-graders are praised by novice students learning to program, as they provide them with automatic feedback about their problem-solving process. However, some students often make random changes when they have errors in their code, without engaging in deliberate thinking about the cause of the error.Objective To investigate whether requiring students using an auto-grading system to reflect on the errors in their code would reduce trial and error behavior often seen in such systems.Method The paper analyzes the impact of reflection per student and per problem using paired t-tests.Findings Students took fewer steps to solve the problem in reflective sessions than in Usual Debugging Sessions (4.33 vs 8.04) and they made half as many syntax errors, logic errors, and runtime errors. However, they took more time between runs.Implications This paper provides evidence that requiring reflection in autograding systems can improve student debugging skills.KEYWORDS: Reflective debuggingintroductory programming classesonline IDEactionable learning analyticsauto gradersnovice programming Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Ethical approvalThis study was done in accordance with the university IRB with reference #15041.Data availability statementThe datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24188010","PeriodicalId":45844,"journal":{"name":"Computer Science Education","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135538425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}