The integration of computational thinking (CT) into school curricula highlights its importance in preparing students for future success. Despite its recognised importance, there is a lack of understanding about effective CT teaching methods, particularly at primary and elementary levels. Previous studies highlight how teachers' beliefs in their ability to impact student learning affect their instructional methods, classroom management, and student support. This study investigated the factors influencing self-efficacy judgments which include enactive mastery (i.e., success or failure), vicarious experiences (i.e., observations of others’ success or failure), verbal persuasion (i.e., encouragement or discouragement from others), and physiological states (e.g., anxiety or enjoyment). Using a multiple case study design across schools in New Zealand and the United States, the study found most teachers were reasonably efficacious and that variations in professional development, resources, collaboration, leadership, and a lack of time, influenced self-efficacy and CT implementation. The findings provide insights for improving CT professional development, instructional strategies, and policy initiatives.
Schools in underserved communities are less likely to be able to offer computer science (CS) classes and when available the teacher lacks a background in CS but is also new to the teaching profession (Banilower et al., 2018). CS teachers without the proper preparation in the content area struggle to support their students including ways of adapting lessons for their diverse students. To mitigate these potential harms, a collaborative effort of four organizations and five teachers resulted in the development of a micro-credential focusing on culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) for CS. This project, CRinCS, aimed to create a meaningful and inclusive learning experience for CS teachers in New Mexico Public Schools. The Design-Based Implementation Research (DBIR) project was a Research Practitioner Partnership (RPP) funded by NSF to develop a micro-credential in CRP. This work met the needs of educators in New Mexico where the teaching force does not mirror the demographics of the student population. Specifically, 60% of NM teachers are white, 34% are Hispanic, and only 3% are Native American, while 61% of NM students are Hispanic, 25% are white, and 11% are Native American, therefore students are less likely to share their background and experiences with most teachers. A potential remedy to bridge this gap is for teachers to utilize CRP. Through the CRinCS micro-credential, participating educators were given the resources and time to adapt aspects of their CS curriculum to be more reflective of the backgrounds of their students. Overall, 52 participants, all in-service educators with more than 2 years of teaching experience, successfully completed the 35 hours needed for the micro-credential with an average increase from a pre- to post-survey related to culturally relevant practices of 11% points out of 100 per indicator. And, participants submitted lesson plans presenting their new awareness of CRP and engaged in discussions showing the depth of their new knowledge of CRP.
As artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly being adopted and used in society, it is imperative that teachers feel supported to integrate AI and computer science (CS) into their coursework. To help support teachers to integrate CS and AI into their instruction, we designed and developed an innovative AI curriculum, [TITLE], for in-service science teachers accompanied with a robust professional development and learning community. [TITLE] is designed for middle school students grades 6-8, and the curriculum blends CS and paleontology as young people are guided in building and evaluating their own machine learning models they use to classify fossil shark teeth. In this paper, we describe the curriculum model, teacher (mis)conceptions about AI, teacher’s perceived self-efficacy and attitudes regarding the curriculum material and on teaching STEM, and student outcomes from the project that are the ultimate reflection of the curriculum design and implementation.
This landscape study explored structural barriers to diversity in computing education by focusing on Computer Science Education State Supervisors (CSEdSS) in state education agencies. Positioned in 41 states, CSEdSS play a crucial role in ensuring equitable access to K-12 CS learning pathways. Despite efforts to expand CS education policy, equity issues in access persist. Based on a survey of CSEdSS (n=32) with a 78% response rate, we applied the Capacity for, Access to, Participation in, and Experience of (CAPE) Framework to analyze CSEdSS survey responses to questions about how they enact their role and the ways in which equity in CS education impacts their work. Findings revealed that CSEdSS leveraged the opportunities available to them to build capacity and advance equitable access to CS education across diverse state contexts, even as they navigated systems that present challenges to equitable implementation. The results highlighted the importance of using a critical analysis approach to interrogate policy enactment through a sociocultural and systems-based lens, addressing the complexities of implementing CS education policies at macrosystem, mesosystem, and microsystem levels to support inclusive and equitable pathways in CS education.
This study explored the dynamics and key factors influencing the development of computer science education (CSEd) pathways in teacher preparation at 10 higher education institutions in the United States. Through cross-case analysis, the findings highlighted that personal commitment and leadership from CSEd champions played a key role in initiating and maintaining CSEd efforts. Other factors acted as a double-edged sword, serving as enablers in some cases and barriers in others. These factors include funding sustainability, stakeholder buy-in, and state-level policies, which could support or complicate CSEd implementation depending on their flexibility and alignment with institutional needs. The study concluded that successful CSEd pathway development requires multifaceted, holistic consideration, balancing leadership, institutional support, and systemic alignment. These insights offered valuable guidance for teacher educators, policymakers, and institutions aiming to expand CS teacher capacity for equitable K-12 computing education.
This paper explores the experiences and learning outcomes of preservice elementary teachers (PSTs) as they integrate computational thinking (CT) into their teaching practices during a structured field experience. Through a qualitative content analysis of video reflections from 27 PSTs, the study examines how teaching CT lessons to K-2 students enhances the PSTs’ understanding of CT and their pedagogical skills. The field experience, which involved hands-on activities using ScratchJr and Tale-Bot, revealed several key themes: the importance of hands-on learning for student engagement, the benefits of empowering students to take an active role in their learning, the necessity of balancing teacher guidance with student independence, and the development of PSTs’ confidence in implementing CT activities. The findings suggest that structured field experiences play a crucial role in preparing PSTs to effectively integrate CT into elementary education, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application. The study emphasizes the need for teacher preparation programs to incorporate real-world teaching opportunities to foster PSTs' confidence and adaptability in teaching CT, thus equipping them to meet the demands of 21st-century classrooms.
Current efforts to prepare teachers for integrating computational thinking (CT) into disciplinary areas often do not ensure equitable CT experiences for students. This study examined teachers’ CT integration by applying the Accessible Computational Thinking (ACT) Framework designed to align elementary science teachers’ professional learning and classroom implementation of CT-infused science with culturally responsive teaching (CRT). Using a case study approach, we analyzed lesson and classroom data from two elementary teachers over one academic year for evidence of ACT in elementary science teaching as the result of a professional development workshop grounded in the ACT Framework. The findings revealed that the participating teachers applied the ACT Framework to implementing CT-CRT-infused science lessons in varied ways: 1) computational simulations opened up rich opportunities for students to engage in CT practices related to data and systems thinking, 2) programming was used with narrow applications, 3) teachers highlighted “using computational simulations” but not “creating” or “assessing” them, 4) teachers recognized the need for intentional planning to integrate students’ diverse backgrounds and perspectives into their CT-infused science lessons. These findings suggested that a holistic approach was required to evaluate the rich and complex ways teachers engaged students in CT practices in elementary science.
Indigenous communities remain among the most underrepresented groups in computing and STEM fields, facing systemic barriers to equitable participation in computer science (CS) education. This study examines how Indigenous-serving teachers, through a sustained professional development (PD) program, design and implement culturally responsive computing (CRC) curricula in Indigenous-serving schools. Guided by the research question: How does sustained CS professional development inform the design of culturally responsive computing curricula by experienced CS teachers in Indigenous-serving schools? We employed a natural language processing (NLP) data fusion approach that integrates text mining and qualitative thematic analysis to investigate how teachers incorporate Indigenous knowledge into computing instruction. Our findings reveal three emergent themes in teacher learning and lesson design: Creating opportunities to access culture through computation, Leveraging Research and Critical Thinking Skills to Critically Engage Students with Computing, and Reflection, refinement, and professional growth through ongoing collaboration. These themes underscore the impact of CRC on bridging cultural traditions with computing, fostering engagement, and enhancing Indigenous students’ sense of belonging in CS. By supporting teachers in developing culturally relevant lessons that integrate storytelling, traditional arts, and computational thinking, this research contributes to the broader discourse on inclusive CS education. This study informs future efforts to expand Indigenous student participation in computing by highlighting the role of culturally sustaining pedagogy in professional development and curriculum design.
The unforeseen school closures in response to the COVID-19 outbreak have brought unique challenges to teachers, who were required to not only flexibly shift between on- and off-line learning, but also safely promote student-centered and collaborative learning in socially distanced remote and on-campus classrooms. Teachers in South Korea, one of the first countries to transition to blended teaching in response to the pandemic, faced similar challenges with limited time, infrastructure, resources, and training to prepare for this unprecedented situation. This case study provides evidence-based insights on how a teacher-initiated Professional Development (PD) session on blended teaching can support teachers to address these challenges. The PD session was designed in partnership with a Korean district office and the subject-based Communities of Practice (CoP) within the district to provide insights on teacher-initiated bottom-up transformation in blended teaching. Both quantitative and qualitative data showed teachers’ increased understanding of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and blended teaching competencies (BTC) after the PD session. This study provides ideas and strategies for PD sessions to promote flexible design and implementation of blended teaching in variable learning contexts as well as mindset changes that can persist in the post-COVID era.
For this study, Mursion TeachLivETM simulation afforded virtual microteaching opportunities for elementary prospective teachers (PTs) enrolled in online mathematics method courses over two years. We assert that virtual microteaching (i.e., leading student-centered discussion after problem solving) using customized Mursion simulation coupled with supporting curricula approximated practice by requiring PTs to be reflexive collaborators; their perceptions about leading mathematics discussions improved. Pre and post surveys, administered during method courses, were analyzed using multiple methods, including quantitative (descriptive and inferential) and qualitative (comparative and thematic). PT’s perceptions of their confidence and preparedness to teach increased; these findings for virtual microteaching align with existing research about learning from microteaching. However, our findings add to extant knowledge by suggesting that the elementary PT teaching anxiety decreased, and their preparations were more in depth, autonomous and intrinsically supported. Future research ideas related to this project are shared.
The purpose of this study was to examine how two kinds of teaching training can affect preservice teachers’ efficacy beliefs in teaching mathematics and conducting classroom management. The preservice teachers practised teaching either for three hours with avatar in a simulation followed by three weeks of fieldwork or for three hours with peers in seminars followed by three weeks of fieldwork. The avatar training and the peer training were combined with feedback from fellow preservice teachers and two experts. The results show that the efficacy beliefs of the preservice teachers who practised with avatars in the simulation were significantly higher than for those who practised with peers. The avatar training gave a boost effect before the fieldwork for one group of preservice teachers. Possible reasons for this might be that training with avatars enables students to experience the four factors highlighted by Bandura: enactive mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and physiological and affective states. Thus, the results indicate that short periods of intense training with avatars combined with feedback from experts can enhance students’ efficacy beliefs significantly. In this sense, simulation training seems to help preservice teachers to become better prepared and confident during their fieldwork.
New computer science standards are being rapidly introduced at the elementary level but little is known about how to prepare teachers to learn and teach the content of these standards, or how to support students with disabilities in learning computer science. Accordingly, we designed and studied the Inclusive Computer Science Model of Professional Development to prepare teachers to integrate computer science for students with disabilities. This paper presents results from this design-based study to understand the factors that inhibited and enhanced teachers’ participation in the professional development and how participation in the professional development influenced teachers’ instruction and perceptions about teaching computer science to students with disabilities. Results revealed two inhibiting factors and one enhancing factor for participation. Further, although teachers did increase their integration of computer science for students with disabilities, it was challenging for teachers to learn and apply new computer science content and approaches for supporting students with disabilities at the same time. Future professional development efforts should focus on careful scaffolding and release of responsibility when preparing teachers to support students with disabilities in learning computer science. Key words: computer science education, coding, computational thinking, professional development, students with disabilities, universal design for learning
With the increase in distance and online teaching for mainstream schooling contexts, the advocacy of using a virtual world as a teaching and learning place has accelerated. Currently, there is no empirical evidence revealing the pedagogical elements defining teacher practices in virtual settings. This article reports on an exploratory study which contributes to defining virtual pedagogy. Six pre-service teachers and two researchers spent 20 hours exploring a three-dimensional virtual platform for its pedagogical appropriation. The pre-service teachers were asked to conduct a learning challenge for the other teacher-participants. An observation protocol was developed from an analysis of literature on the use of digital technologies and virtual worlds to identify specific teaching practices. Using video recordings of the learning challenges, a process of deductive and inductive categorisation occurred. Findings indicate that virtual teaching practices can be categorised by technology function; pedagogical approach, classroom organisation, teacher role and learner action; feedback and modality; and quality dimensions. The appropriation of the virtual place plays a role in defining teacher practices in the virtual classroom. These findings begin to represent and guide virtual teaching that has the potential to impact the quality of distance learning and learning in a classroom.
This study utilized Q methodology to examine non-educational technology teacher education faculty perspectives on the challenge of technology infusion within teacher education. We sought faculty perspectives on how technology influences learning, faculty confidence in preparing candidates to use technology, program design for technology integration, and leadership support for faculty and candidate development. Thirty-one faculty from six teacher education programs across the United States participated in the study and shared their perspectives. Different from traditional Likert scale data collection, a mixed methods Q methodology research design involved participants completing a forced sort of Q statements where they made value choices along a spectrum of “most unlike me” to “most like me,” while also providing written explanations of their rationale for the selections. Analysis revealed participants loaded on one of three factors: (1) Confident Believers, (2) Disillusioned vs. Positive Outlook (bipolar factor), and (3) Tentative and Receptive. Findings confirmed the need for intentional curriculum design, fieldwork, and assessment to prepare candidates for program-deep and program-wide technology infusion. Qualitative data provided depth to quantitative analysis, highlighting the need for enhanced program design and leadership to intentionally infuse technology throughout teacher preparation.
The public schoolhouse is one of the few remaining public spaces in which citizens may routinely gather to discuss controversial issues. Furthermore, it is social studies classrooms and teachers, in particular, that bear the moral imperative to ensure such civic discourse takes place. Nevertheless, many social studies teachers refrain from centering such discussions in their classrooms, often for fear of reprisal should these discussions go awry. It thus falls to social studies teacher educators to rethink how we prepare future teachers. This paper reports on a study that incorporated digital simulations of controversial issues into three preservice social studies teacher preparation methods courses to help develop high-leverage practices associated with leading whole-group discussions. Case study analysis suggests participants developed greater fluency with the teacher moves they practiced in the simulation. Accordingly, participants’ developed greater confidence with and perceived importance of facilitating discussions of controversial issues in their future classrooms. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Professional development programs today increasingly ask teachers to capture video in their own classrooms to share with peers. Yet little work has explored the nature of the videos that teachers produce for this purpose. This study takes a first step by looking inside a set of almost 200 videos collected by 84 K-2 teachers participating in one of two online mathematics professional development modules. Our analyses reveal that, overall, teachers collected video excerpts with good video and audio quality. In addition, the videos focused primarily on students and provided a great deal of access into student thinking through student talk and gestures and, to a lesser extent, the use of physical manipulatives and drawings. While previous research has suggested that teachers might think that videos excerpts of their classrooms should serve as exemplars of teaching, in this dataset, nearly 25% of the videos depicted students struggling with the mathematics they were exploring, and more than 30% highlighted mathematical errors that students made as they worked on the given task. We offer reflections on these findings and raise questions to be explored in future research.
In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, many educators across the country and around the world scrambled to shift their practice from in-person to remote teaching within a matter of days. This global pandemic exposed a significant gap in teacher preparation and training for emergency remote teaching, including teaching with technology to ensure continuity of learning for students at a distance. To learn more about educators’ experiences during this crisis, we designed and distributed an online survey that received 325 responses from K-12 educators between April 4 and May 10, 2020. In this article, we share initial insights from the survey and provide recommendations for how to better prepare and support educators for teaching remotely in times of need.
The COVID-19-induced closure of K-12 schools significantly impacted the field experiences of students enrolled in teacher preparation programs. We addressed this ongoing challenge by adapting an early field experience model for secondary teachers that shifted online mid-semester. The University Teaching Experience model deploys a cohort of preservice secondary mathematics teachers to support instruction in an introductory university mathematics course. When the designated mathematics course moved online, the preservice teachers were able to continue their field experience by facilitating small-group discussions in virtual breakout rooms. To understand the perspectives of the stakeholders participating in the online field experience, we conducted semi-structured one-on-one interviews with the preservice teachers, the mathematics course instructor, and the university mathematics students involved in this setting. Early results indicated that the preservice teachers were highly valued by both the course instructor and the undergraduate mathematics students. Additionally, the preservice teachers appreciated the opportunity to continue their field experience, albeit in the more limited format. We present themes which emerged from preservice teacher interviews and share guidance for teacher preparation program faculty interested in trying an online early field experience while access to K-12 classrooms is limited.
The global COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted normal faceto-face classes across institutions. This has significantly impacted methods courses where preservice teachers (PSTs) practice pedagogy in the field (e.g., in the PreK-12 classroom). In this paper, we describe efforts to adapt an assignment originally situated in a face-to-face school placement into a virtual version. By utilizing multi-perspective 360 video, preliminary results suggest virtual field experiences can provide PSTs with similar experiences for observation-based assignments. Acknowledging that immersive virtual experiences are not a complete replacement for face-to-face fieldbased experiences, we suggest virtual field assignments can be a useful supplement or a viable alternative during a time of the pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced colleges and universities to move all in-person courses to a remote or online learning format. As a result, many faculty, including teacher educators, opted to transition their courses to live synchronous web meetings using web conferencing tools like Zoom. Despite benefits of synchronous communication, there are constraints with the use and overuse of synchronous live meetings (which many teacher educators ended up experiencing during the pandemic). In this paper, we describe the experiences of how four different faculty, at four different universities, used asynchronous video to maintain connection and engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conclude with implications for practice and future research.
