Considering primary school programming education using a comprehension-first approach

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Towards the convergence of music, mathematics and computing in the primary school through the use of a visual programming system designed for in-the-wild delivery

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.In comparison to the 2014 changes concerning the UK National Curriculum (NC) for Information Communication Technology (ICT) and maths, the NC for music has remained relatively unchanged. A decline in the number of students studying music in UK schools has also been noted throughout the last decade. Considering the NC statutory requirements for music, maths and computing at Key Stage (KS) One, this thesis argues that in a visual programming context, music harbours interdisciplinary symmetric correlations concerning both maths and computing. Thus, the NC statutory requirements for music, maths and computing at KS One are drawn together in a bespoke visual programming system called Music And Mathematics In Collaboration (MAMIC). MAMIC is a thematic-based interdisciplinary curricular connection visual programming system designed for inthe- wild use. MAMIC has been delivered by several non-expert practitioners from varying backgrounds (with minimal training), as part of four case studies across KS One and Two in situ. Based on the results from the case studies, the MAMIC library topology model is presented as a central contribution. This model employs multiple layers of visual programming abstractions which house the symmetric correlations across the music, maths and computing NC statutory requirements. The sequence number is presented at the syntegration concept of this model. From these findings, the MAMIC library topology model and the MAMIC interdisciplinary model can be used to design interdisciplinary visual programming systems for in-the-wild curricula. A pedagogical framework is also presented to illustrate ways that interdisciplinary visual programming can be incorporated into the primary school curriculum. Music’s potential as an interdisciplinary vehicle in a visual programming context is also explored. However, it seems this potential is difficult to access by in-the-wild nonexpert practitioners and students alike. Finally, this thesis presents several recommendations that aim to reposition music in a new interdisciplinary space by using a set of KS One interdisciplinary NC statutory requirements for the subjects of music, maths and computing