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This paper reports on the findings of a Design-Based Research (DBR) study that investigated the transformative learning of six high school computer science teachers after they participated in a professional development (PD) training with a focus on Culturally Responsive Computing (CRC). Findings from the statistical analysis of pre-and post-surveys reveal ways in which teachers' understanding and enactment of CRC in their classrooms led to a reporting of increased student engagement, a deeper understanding of diverse learning needs, and improved access to cultural resources to specifically meet girls' needs. Findings from interviews and focus groups further reveal that after engaging in the PD, teachers qualitatively adapted their classroom strategies in order to uplift the cultural practices and gender identities of historically marginalized students. This study has implications for how teachers' professional development is designed and how they are guided to enact culturally responsive computing in ways that help recruit and retain racial and ethnic minority girls in CS courses.

The launch of a Computer Science curriculum specification in upper secondary schools in Ireland in 2018 was a landmark and a historic development in Irish education. Addressing the historical policy decisions adopted towards establishing the specification, this paper presents an analysis of developments from the 1970s as revealed in key policies and other documents. Positioning the policy change within the context of influences, context of policy text production and within the context of practices, the paper presents an overview of the Irish Computer Science specification. Alongside the background to the evolution in computer science education over the period, the article takes into account the national and cultural contexts and narrates the journey travelled to arrive at this pivotal position. Developments in a global context are presented in comparison with curricula in other countries and some similarities and differences identified. The article uncovers consequences of the specification for the national curriculum, key skills integration and computer science teacher preparation. The article provides an important analysis of the policy trajectory of computer science in Ireland based on a visibly relevant corpus of documents tracing the different stages of this policy and comparing it to similar experiences implemented in other European countries.

While the last two decades have seen an increased interest in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) in K-12 schools, few efforts have focused on the teachers and teaching practices necessary to support these interventions. Even fewer have considered the important work that teachers carry out not just inside classrooms but beyond the classroom walls to sustain such STEAM implementation efforts, from interacting with administrators to recruiting students and persuading parents about the importance of arts and computer science. In order to understand teachers' needs and practices regarding STEAM implementation, in this paper, we focus on eight experienced computer science teachers' reflections on implementing a STEAM unit using electronic textiles, which combine crafting, circuit design, and coding so as to make wearable artifacts. We use a broad lens to examine the practices high school teachers employed not only in their classrooms but also in their schools and communities to keep these equitable learning opportunities going, from communicating with other teachers and admins to building a computer science (CS) teacher community across district and state lines. We also analyzed these reflections to understand teachers' own social and emotional needs—needs important to staying in the field of CS education—better, as they are relevant to engaging with learning new content, applying new pedagogical skills, and obtaining materials and endorsements from their organizations to bring STEAM into their classrooms. In the discussion, we contemplate what teachers' reported practices and needs say about supporting and sustaining equitable STEAM in classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer science teaching standards for grades K-8 have been implemented in nearly all U.S. states, and the core subject area teachers (e.g., math, science, English, social studies) have been asked to integrate these standards into their instruction. Thus, it is important that K-8 pre-service teachers of all subjects are both prepared and motivated to teach computer science concepts—such as programming—upon entering the field. However, little is known about how pre-service teachers learn and retain programming knowledge or obtain and sustain their motivation related to programming. Maker-focused educational robotics activities have the potential to both reduce abstract cognitive load and work as motivational tools for STEM learning. The purpose of this study was to examine pre-service teachers' motivational persistence and retention of programming concepts after learning with educational robotics through maker-focused computer science activities. Hands-on maker robotics programming activities were used to teach and motivate pre-service teachers. This quantitative study utilized repeated measures through pre-, post-, and 6-month follow-up surveys and tests. The findings indicated the pre-service teachers' programming comprehension gains exhibited on the posttest deteriorated substantially to near-baseline levels within 6 months of instruction. Conversely, pre-service teachers' motivation related to programming continued to rise after the instruction had concluded. Both the retention of comprehension of programming concepts and motivational persistence findings imply that educator preparation providers should integrate programming instruction throughout their pre-service teacher curricula and support curricular initiatives that call for the integration of computer science instruction across pre-service teacher methods courses to reinforce computer science learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new school subject, Leaving Certificate Computer Science, was introduced in September 2018 into Irish schools in a period of curriculum reform and change. Drawing on concepts of teacher agency and learner agency, and viewed through a figurational sociology lens, this paper explored the realities of teaching LCCS and the role teacher agency and learner agency played in such enactment. Through a case study design, four teachers were interviewed in a focus group semi-structured manner. To delve deeper into the pedagogical approaches used in LCCS, a further one teacher and their nine students were interviewed. The findings highlight an influential relationship (positive and negative, encouraging and discouraging) between teachers' agentic decisions in their process of achieving teacher agency and the students process of achieving learner agency. The paper offers a figurational viewpoint of the relationship between teacher agency and learner agency through a constructed Figure. We explicitly argue that the responsibility should not be placed on the teacher and student in achieving agency (as a product) but it is a combination of the teacher and the students and the other interdependent relationships within their figurations, alongside contextual factors, and educational social processes, which determine the fluctuation of the process of achieving teacher and learner agency. The paper provides considerations for computer science teacher education. • Explores the relationship between teacher agency and learner agency in Computer Science subject. • Uses figurational sociology to further understand the process of achieving agency. • Qualitative research study. • Considerations provided for Computer Science teacher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computer Science (CS) stereotypes promote the mindset that nerdy White males who have a high IQ and are technology enthusiasts are the ones to succeed in the field, leading to gender and racial disparities. This quasi-experimental study investigated if exposing teacher candidates to a stereotypical vs. counter-stereotypical CS role model affects their stereotypes and attitudes toward teaching CS. Participants exposed to a counter-stereotypical role model reported a statistically significant decrease in stereotypes about social skills, and slightly weaker stereotypes about appearance, cognitive skills, and work preferences. Participants exposed to a stereotypical role model reported no changes in stereotypes. Participants in both groups showed increasingly positive attitudes toward teaching CS. Implications for CS teacher education are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating computational thinking (CT) into various disciplines via computer science (CS) methods such as unplugged, block-based, text-based, and physical programming is a trending topic in educational sciences. This study presents a perspective on implementing an unplugged computer science activity to integrate CT into mathematics education. This study aims to examine the integration of CT into mathematics education, its classroom practice, and the opinions of students and pre-service teachers towards the unplugged CS activity. For this purpose, we developed an unplugged CS activity, which includes CT components, computer science and mathematics education achievements. The unplugged CS activity is a problem of transmitting data most efficiently and accurately between transmitter and receiver. The researchers trained twelve pre-service mathematics teachers to implement this activity in realclassroom environments. The pre-service teachers implemented the unplugged CS activity with 80 students in four classes. CT components were considered in the activity design. The students performed data collection, data analysis, decomposition, pattern recognition, algorithm design, and testing and debugging, which are components of CT, during the activity. Middle school students stated that they had enjoyed the activity and that this activity made the mathematics learning process satisfying. They established a relationship between the activity and mathematics education, besides, they needed help connecting it with CS concepts. Pre-service teachers stated that they had challenges in classroom management during the activity. Classroom management should be a part of teacher education in designing and implementing CT-integrated lessons. Courses containing classroom management, CS activity design and implementation should be developed for pre-service teachers based on theory and practice within their discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this convergent mixed-methods study was to evaluate the effect of educational robotics on pre-service teachers' programming comprehension and motivation. Computer science is increasingly being integrated into K-8 curricula. However, a shortage of teachers trained to teach basic computer science concepts remains unresolved. This study thus utilized educational robotics as "mindtools" to teach programming concepts to pre-service teachers. Data were obtained through a pre-post comprehension assessment, a pre-post motivation survey, field notes, and individual interviews. The findings of this study indicated that pre-service teachers' comprehension of programming concepts and motivation related to programming can be improved through educational robotics to statistically significant levels. Design implications on integrating educational robotics into pre-service teacher programming instruction are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]