Coding to Connect: Centering Joy and Community in Elementary Computer Science Education

In this piece, we weave together personal reflections to explore the design and implementation of an unplugged, elementary computer science (CS) event, and examine the underlying pedagogical principles guiding this work.  Critical CS scholars have increasingly called for centering joy and connection within CS, while simultaneously decentering the neoliberal focus on workforce development.  We aimed to forefront these ideas with a CS event supported and led by a multi-stakeholder partnership between preservice teachers, staff, and faculty within California State University, Dominguez Hills’ College of Education, and the students, inservice teachers, and administration at 186th St. Elementary School.  Historically, CS is an inequitable and inaccessible field that does not prioritize diversity or inclusion.  By bringing together numerous stakeholders from across the community for a CS event centering joy, we hoped to shift perceptions and experiences of CS and find better ways of supporting and inspiring all our students and teachers. &nbsp

Problemas enfrentados por alunas de graduação em ciência da computação: uma revisão sistemática

Este estudo apresenta uma revisão sistemática da literatura sobre os problemas sofridos por universitárias de cursos de ciência da computação, com o objetivo de examinar os motivos que levam à evasão de meninas desse curso. Uma gama completa de periódicos indexados foi pesquisada usando os bancos de dados da ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science e Springer. Um total de 818 artigos foram obtidos nas bibliotecas digitais, mas apenas 24 trabalhos foram aceitos para extração de dados desta revisão. Os resultados revelam que existem vários problemas que levam as meninas a evadir dos cursos de graduação em informática. Tais problemas foram descritos e classificados em seis categorias principais. Também foram abordadas iniciativas que vêm sendo aplicadas para minimizar o abandono dos cursos pelas alunas de graduação em ciência da computação. Apontar os principais problemas das estudantes de informática e identificar as limitações das iniciativas tomadas para solucioná-los é o primeiro passo para trabalhos futuros que proponham boas formas de contorná-los e delineiem soluções específicas para a sala de aula, conscientizando profissionais da educação e até colegas sobre estes problemas. A atenção a essas questões pode despertar o interesse dos pesquisadores, enquanto fazem a pós-graduação em STEM, em trabalhar para tornar mais positivas as experiências das alunas de graduação, diminuindo suas chances de evasão. Além disso, a partir dos resultados desta pesquisa, é possível tomar decisões acadêmicas, gerenciais e administrativas com base teórica em relação às questões de gênero.This systematic literature review on the issues faced by female computer science undergraduates sought to examine the reported reasons for female evasion from computer science major. A full range of indexed journals was surveyed using the ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science, and Springer databases. Of the 818 articles retrieved from the digital libraries, only 24 papers were selected for data extraction. The several issues cited as reasons for female evasion from computer science undergraduate courses were divided into six major categories and described. Initiatives that have been implemented to minimize the dropout rate among undergraduate computer science female students were also addressed. Pointing out the main issues faced by female computer science students and identifying the limitations of the initiatives taken to solve them is the first step for future work, proposing good ways around them and outlining specific solutions for the classroom, making education professionals and even classmates aware of these problem. Attention to these issues may pique the researchers’ interest, while pursuing a graduate STEM degree, in working to make the experience of female undergraduate students more positive, thus decreasing their chances of evasion. Moreover, based on the results of this research, it is possible to make theory-based academic, managerial and administrative decisions concerning gender issues

Engaging Equity Pedagogies in Computer Science Learning Environments

In this position paper, we advocate for the use of equity-focused teaching and learning as an essential practice within computer science classrooms. We provide an overview of the theoretical underpinnings of various equity pedagogies (Banks & Banks, 1995), such as culturally relevant pedagogy (Ladson-Billings, 1995, 2006) and share how they have been utilized in CS classrooms. First, we provide a brief history of CS education and issues of equity within public schools in the United States. In sharing our definition of equity, along with our rationale for how and why these strategies can be taken up in computer science (CS) learning environments, we demonstrate how researchers and educators can shift the focus from access and achievement to social justice. After explaining the differences between the relevant theoretical frameworks, we provide practical examples from research of how both practitioners and researchers might use and/or examine equity-focused teaching practices. Resources for further learning are also included

“Los programadores debieron pensarse como dos veces”: Exploring the Intersections of Language, Power and Technology with Bi/Multilingual Students

Critical computing approaches to K-12 Computer Science (CS) education aim to promote justice in computing and the wider world. Despite being intertwined with inequitable power dynamics in computing, issues of linguistic (in)justice have received less attention in critical computing. In this article, I draw on theoretical ideas from sociolinguistics and critical computing to analyze qualitative data collected in computing and technology-integrated language and humanities classes serving emergent bi/multilingual middle school students. Conversations about language, technology, and power were close at hand in focal classrooms, and surfaced in moments when students acted as users and critics of, and tinkerers with digital tools. Students exercised agency in relation to both technology and language – using their budding understandings of language to question digital tools, and their engagements with tools to challenge traditional language ideologies. I build on past scholarship and the findings of this analysis to argue for the development of critical translingual computing education – an approach that would engage especially language-minoritized students in critical computing to build on and affirm their language practices and promote linguistic justice in CS education, fields, and tools

Classifying the Characteristics of Effective Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for Computer Science Teachers in the 16-18 Sector

As technology and curricula continue to evolve and develop, the prevalence and effectiveness of continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities for computer science teachers is becoming increasingly more important. However, key questions remain about what the characteristics are for effective CPD in this context. Through the presentation of existing literature and the qualitative analysis of interviews with 32 employees from 13 English colleges (n = 14 computer science lecturers, 10 course leaders, and 8 members of senior leadership) this article answers the following question: ‘What are the characteristics of effective continuing professional development for computer science teachers in the 16-18 sector?’ Existing literature indicates how CPD benefits from: (1) knowledge development and application to classroom teaching, (2) self-efficacy development and measurement, (3) observation, feedback and reflection, (4) collaboration and communities of practice, (5) sufficient time, and (6) institution support. Meanwhile, the thematic analysis of interview data led to the creation of five overarching themes: (1) computer science CPD should address various knowledge domains, (2) CPD requires institutional support, (3) CPD should be engaging, (4) computer science CPD should involve a combination of activities, and (5) CPD should be measurable. This qualitative article also presents interview excerpts and contributes to computing education research and practice by presenting a set of thirty guidelines which outlines the characteristics of effective CPD in the context of computer science teachers in the 16-18 sector. These guidelines could be beneficial for both CPD providers and educators in ensuring CPD opportunities are designed more effectively, and with an understanding of both parties’ needs

Equity, accessibility and action: supporting diverse learners in K-12 computer science education

Computer science impacts our lives every day in a multitude of ways. Despite its ubiquity and power to shape the world, the computer science education community continues to struggle with issues of equity. Problems of access, opportunity, influence and achievement are pervasive and while a handful of scholars have investigated specific approaches to improving equity in computer science education, little research has been done to study the beliefs and practices of teachers in the field across all grade levels and from varied locales. Using a basic qualitative approach, this study examined how 10 teachers selected for an equity-oriented fellowship conceptualized equity in computer science education and used a wide assortment of strategies to create equitable access and outcomes for diverse learners both within and beyond their classrooms. To achieve a deeper understanding, fellowship data was analyzed and compared across all fellows and multiple data types for similarities and differences. Implications for research, and practice are discussed

Impact of Scratch on the achievements of first-year computer science students in programming in some Nigerian polytechnics

To support the advancement of modern civilisation, our institutions of higher learning must produce the right pool of professionals, who can develop innovative software. However, the teaching and learning of the first programming language (CS1) remains a great challenge for most educators and novice computer students. Indicators such as failure and attrition rates, and CS1 student engagement, continue to show that conventional pedagogy does not adequately meet the needs of some beginning CS students. For its ease in introducing novices to programming, Scratch—a visual programming environment following the constructionism philosophy of Seymour Papert—is now employed even in some higher education CS1 classes with mixed evidence of its impact. Scratch captures the constructionist agenda by its slogan: “Imagine, Program, Share.” Therefore, this study explored the impart of using a constructionist Scratch programming pedagogy on higher education CS1 students’ achievements. This study also sought to compare the impacts of the two CS1 modes: the conventional class - involving textual programming language, lectures and labs, and the constructionist Scratch inquiry-based programming class. It further aims to discover if gender, academic level, age, prior programming, and visual artistic abilities moderate the effects of programming pedagogy on students’ achievements. To realize the study’s aims, the study employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest nonequivalent groups design, involving four intact CS1 classes of polytechnic students (N = 418) in north-central Nigeria. The investigation was conducted in phases: a pilot (n = 236) and main (n=182) studies lasting two academic sessions, with each study comprising one experimental and one control group. In each session, learning in both modes lasted for six weeks. In both studies, purposive sampling was employed to select institutions, and selected institutions were randomly assigned to treatment groups. Instruments employed included CS1 Student Profile Questionnaire (CSPROQ) and Introductory Programming Achievement Test (IPAT). To strengthen the research design, I employed Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM) algorithm—after conducting a priori power analysis—to generate matched random samples of cases from both studies. Thus, research data employed in the analysis include: from the pilot, 41 cases in each treatment group; from the main study, 42 cases in each treatment group. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed to find answers to research questions and test the research hypothesis. Data from both studies satisfied the requirements for statistical tests employed, i.e., t-test and ANCOVA. The alpha level used in testing hypotheses was p = 0.05. The dependent variable is the IPAT post-test score, while the independent variables are treatment, gender, age, academic achievement level, prior programming, and prior visual art. The covariate was the IPAT pretest score. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 23. The t-test results from both pilot and main studies indicated that, both programming pedagogies had significant effects on student IPAT scores, although the effect of the constructionist Scratch intervention was higher. Results from the one-way ANCOVA analysis of both pilot and main study data—while controlling for students’ IPAT pretest scores—yielded the same outcome: There was significant main effect of treatment on students’ IPAT posttest scores, although the impact was moderate. Controlling for pre test scores, analysis of the main studies data yielded no significant main effects of: gender, age, academic level, prior programming and prior visual artistic ability. The result from the main study also reveals no interaction effect of treatment, gender, academic level, age, prior programming, and prior artistic ability. While the quality of CS1 students’ performance in each session varies as their IPAT achievements show, yet the results of this research revealed a consistent pattern: Students in the constructionist Scratch class outperformed those in the conventional class, although the impart was moderate. This finding implies college students without prior programming experience can perform better in a class following a constructionist Scratch programming pedagogy. The study recommends the use of Scratch, following a constructionist pedagogy with first-year students in colleges, especially those without prior background in programmingSchool of ComputingPh. D. (Computing Education

Translanguaging About, With, and Through Code and Computing: Emergent Bi/multilingual Middle Schoolers Forging Computational Literacies

As computing pervades more aspects of life, and as Computer Science for All (CS for All) initiatives roll out across the U.S., the field must understand the experiences and language practices of emergent bi/multilingual K-12 students and use that knowledge to drive equitable pedagogical and programmatic approaches. But little is known about how emergent bi/multilingual students — a growing population that school systems have often viewed with deficit-based lenses and have thus struggled to educate equitably — use language in the context of CS education. This dissertation addresses this gap by (1) qualitatively documenting and using asset-based frames to analyze moments when emergent bilingual middle schoolers translanguaged (flexibly orchestrated linguistic, semiotic, and technological resources) as they participated in computational literacies in CS-integrated Language Arts, English-as-a-New Language, and Social Studies units co-designed by teachers and researchers working together in a research-practice partnership. It also (2) captures insights about how students understood their meaning-making choices in those moments and (3) uses findings from this empirical work to generate theory about the relationships between translanguaging and computational literacies. Findings provide evidence that emergent bi/multilingual students’ diverse language practices are assets in CS education, and enabled the forging of new meaningful computational literacies. This project lays groundwork for CS practitioners to meaningfully include emergent bi/multilingual students and for bilingual education to consider computing’s role in languaging and expression