Complexities in Computer Science Teaching Attitudes and Beliefs (original) (raw)
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ACM Transactions on Computing Education
Instrument development is an important step towards unlocking the analytical power of teacher attitudes and beliefs towards Computer Science (CS). Teacher dispositions have strong empirical and theoretical ties to teacher motivation, professional choices, and classroom practices. To determine consensus desirable attitudes and beliefs we analyzed 17 key documents produced by 12 national and international organizations associated with CS and the CS education reform movement. An analysis of 98 relevant coded segments yielded four dispositional targets: an equity orientation, a teacher growth mindset, and key beliefs regarding (career) outcomes and epistemology of CS. Statements crafted for these targets as well as self-efficacy were reviewed through an expert panel (N = 5) and a pilot study (N = 22) before the T-ABC was administered to elementary teachers in a large grant-funded outreach project (N = 772). Psychometric analysis demonstrates high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.89) an...
K-12 Teachers’ Perceptions and Experiences in Starting to Teach Computer Science
Education Sciences
New curriculum reform across the United States requires teacher educators to rapidly develop and implement professional development (PD) for K-12 teachers, newly assigned to teach computer science (CS). One of the many inherent challenges in providing valuable PD is knowing what it is that novice CS teachers most need. This quantitative research study was designed to inform the iterative development of a K-12 CS Teaching Endorsement program offered at a small college in the rural Rocky Mountain west, based on participants’ perceptions of the program, before and after attempting to teach the CS curriculum provided by the endorsement program. The overarching research question guiding this study is: What differences might exist between teachers’ perceived needs for CS-based professional development before and after actual classroom teaching experiences with CS? To pursue this question, the following null hypothesis was tested: H0: No measurable change exists in teachers’ perceptions re...
Proceedings of the 27th ACM Conference on on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education Vol. 1
Broadening participation in computer science (CS) for elementary students is a growing movement, spurred by computing workforce demands and the need for younger students to develop skills in problem solving and critical/computational thinking. However, offering computer science instruction at this level is directly related to the availability of teachers prepared to teach the subject. Unfortunately, there are relatively few primary/elementary school teachers who have received formal training in computer science, and they often self-report a lack of CS subject matter expertise. Teacher development is a key factor to address these issues, and this paper describes professional development strategies and empirical impacts of a summer institute that included two graduate courses and a series of Saturday workshops during the subsequent academic year. Key elements included teaching a high-level programming language (Python and JavaScript), integrating CS content and pedagogy instruction, and involving both experienced K-12 CS teachers and University faculty as instructors. Empirical results showed that this carefully structured PD that incorporated evidence-based elements of sufficient duration, teacher active learning and collaboration, modeling, practice, and feedback can successfully impact teacher outcomes. Results showed significant gains in teacher CS knowledge (both pedagogy and content), self-efficacy, and perception of CS value. Moderating results-examining possible differential effects depending on teacher gender, years of teaching CS, and geographic locale-showed that the PD was successful with experienced and less experienced teachers, with teachers from both rural and urban locales, and with both males and females. CCS CONCEPTS • Social and professional topics → K-12 education.
Proceedings of the 49th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
Common barriers to broad-based adoption of Computer Science in secondary schools include 1) insufficient numbers of trained teachers who are capable of teaching CS courses in K-12 schools, and 2) a narrow base of students interested in taking CS courses which does not include a large number of females or students from traditionally underrepresented racial groups. In an effort to overcome these obstacles, we developed and employed a teacher professional development program to develop both content and pedagogical strategies to teach Computer Science Principles while also broadening and expanding participation in CS. Teachers were selected for this program in an effort to understand the impact of the intervention with teachers of diverse backgrounds, who teach in a variety of types of schools and with diverse student populations, and with a range of previous Computer Science content knowledge and teaching experience. Teacher content mastery, confidence and attitudes, as well as student content mastery and confidence were assessed at multiple times. Key goals of the program were to develop ability and confidence in programming skills among teachers and students, and to train and encourage teachers to use peer instruction, allowing for a great deal of interaction among students and engagement with the content facilitating the development of expertise among students. Significant findings showed that teachers improved in both knowledge and confidence after taking the workshop, and the gains were evident for their students as well. Their students also demonstrated improvement in both skills and confidence after taking CS Principles, regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity.
Expanding computer science education in schools: understanding teacher experiences and challenges
The increased push for teaching computer science (CS) in schools in the United States requires training a large number of new K-12 teachers. The current e orts to increase the number of CS teachers have predominantly focused on training teachers from other content areas. In order to support these beginning CS teachers, we need to better understand their experiences and challenges encountered in the classroom. This study investigated U.S. CS teachers’ perspectives on the demands of teaching computer science and support needed to ensure quality teaching. Results suggested that teachers face a number of challenges, including isolation, lack of adequate computer science background, and limited professional development resources.
ACM Transactions on Computing Education
Context With the introduction of computer science (CS) into curricula worldwide, teachers’ adoption of CS-pedagogical content is essential to ensure the long-term success of reform initiatives. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs play a key role in this process. Unfortunately, adoption is seldom evaluated in CS-CPDs, or CPDs in general. The result is a dearth of studies i) modelling teachers’ adoption of CS-pedagogical content, or ii) investigating factors influencing the uptake of this new discipline. Both aspects are crucial to design and characterise successful CPD programs. Objectives We thus propose the Teachers’ Adoption of CS (TACS) model to investigate factors influencing the adoption of CS-pedagogical content by teachers who are following a mandatory CS-CPD program. More specifically, the model proposes that contextual factors (e.g. age, gender, and general teaching experience), prior factors (e.g. experience, and CS perception), and acceptance factors ...
Pedagogical beliefs and attitudes of computer science
2013
Pedagogical beliefs and attitudes significantly determine the professional skills and practice of teachers. Many professional development programs for teachers aim to the elaboration of the pedagogical knowledge in order to improve teaching quality. This paper presents the study of pedagogical beliefs of computer science teachers in Greece. The research data reveal that computer science teachers usually hold mixed traditional and constructivist theories which are generally irrelevant to either demographic factors or their pedagogical training. In some cases statistically significant correlations to the educational level or the total teaching service are detected. The results of the study set out suggestions concerning the design of pedagogical training programs.
K-12 Computer Science Education Across the U.S
Informatics in Schools: Improvement of Informatics Knowledge and Perception, 2016
Our multi-year national research study examines knowledge and perceptions of computer science (CS), disparities in access, and barriers to offering CS in the United States. The first year of the study surveyed 1,673 students, 1,685 parents, 1,013 teachers, 9,693 principals, and 1,865 superintendents, and the second year surveyed 1,672 students, 1,677 parents, 1,008 teachers, 9,244 principals, and 2,227 superintendents. We found that while large majorities of respondents from all groups continue to hold positive perceptions of computer science work as fun, exciting, and socially impactful, perceptions of who can do CS remained narrow. Despite support from large majorities in all groups for having CS in schools, few teachers or administrators strongly agree that CS is a top priority in their school or district, and principals report mixed support for CS from key stakeholders. Few principals and superintendents describe demand for CS from students and parents as high, while few parents and teachers report having specifically expressed support for CS education to school officials. Our paper also uncovers overall opportunities to learn CS inand out-of-school. We see an increase in the percent of schools teaching computer programming/coding. Even if opportunities exist, students and parents may not know about them; just over half of students and teachers and 43 % of parents are aware of CS learning opportunities in the community, with slightly higher percentages of students and parents aware of online opportunities. Barriers to offering CS in schools remain largely unchanged from year one of the study, with principals continuing to cite a lack of teachers with the necessary skills and a prioritization of courses related to testing requirements as reasons why CS is not offered in their schools. To overcome such barriers, we discuss a potential opportunity for teachers to incorporate CS into existing school subjects.
Evaluating Computer Science Professional Development for Teachers in the United States
21st Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research
Teacher professional development (PD) is a key factor in enabling teachers to develop mindsets and skills that positively impact students. It is also a key step in building capacity for computer science (CS) education in K-12 schools. Successful CS PD meets primary learning goals and enable teachers to grow their self-efficacy, asset and equity mindset, and interest in teaching CS. As part of a larger study, we conducted a secondary analysis of CS PD evaluation instruments (n = 14). We found that instruments across providers were highly dissimilar with limited data collected for measures related to teacher learning, which has implications for future K-12 CS education. Likewise, the instruments were limited in being connected to student learning and academic growth. As a way to enable PD providers to construct measures that align with known impacting factors, we offer recommendations for collecting demographic data and measuring program satisfaction, content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, growth and equity mindset, and self-efficacy. We also highlight questions for PD providers to consider when constructing their evaluation, including reflecting community values, the goals of the PD, and how the data collected will be used to continually improve CS programs.
Computer Science Teacher Capacity: The Need for Expanded Understanding
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With the increasing need for the incorporation of computer science (CS) concepts into elementary and secondary education, it is imperative that the teaching workforce is adequately prepared to ensure that instruction in CS is robust, relevant, and aligned with appropriate learning standards, where appropriate. This paper shares results from a recent survey administered to current computer science educators across the K-12 space in the state of New Jersey. Using these results and recent literature, the research distills actionable, assessed needs to guide the provision of professional learning to ensure that educators have the necessary tools and knowledge to ensure robust and equitable implementation of computer science education. Results point towards a need to expand the present understanding of computer science by effectively differentiating CS from technology-based instruction and addressing an overrepresentation of analytical content domains, reaffirm a commitment to equity by ...