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Young people need digital competency and confidence to effectively harness computing power to solve problems and design solutions; a core component is improving young people's computational thinking. Unfortunately, access to computer science education is lacking for all youth, and in particular for youth who live in lower-income households, who are Black or Latino, or live in rural areas. With funding from Google, through the National 4-H Council, California 4-H embarked on a three-year project to build the capacity of 4-H professionals, volunteers, and teenagers to facilitate computer science education with youth. Our programming was effective as assessed with survey methodology. We offer recommendations to Extension professionals in replicating computer science education.

In this article, we present a conceptual framework for teaching computer science (CS) to address the unique challenges faced by marginalized groups. The framework is grounded in feminist standpoint theory and describes three key practitioner-focused areas aimed at broadening participation and increasing participation in CS education (CSEd). These principles are (1) Creating dialogic and dialectical relationships with the CS community, (2) Embracing intersectionality in CSEd, and (3) Framing CS education as a lived experience. It also offers a distinct perspective in that it is concerned with how "both sides of the dialogue" (i.e., the oppressed and the oppressor) grow and change in relation to one another. The strategies, along with the framework detailed in this paper, provide scholars and educators with new avenues for unpacking underrepresentation in CSEd and potential methods to address it.

The goal of the present study was to explore the relations among perceived psychosocial learning environments, instructional modality, motivation, self-regulated learning, and academic achievement in blended computer science education. The participants were 207 undergraduate students enrolled in a blended online and face-to-face design course. We employed exploratory structural equation modeling to analyze the data. Our findings indicated that within the perceived psychosocial learning environments, dimensions such as personal relevance, authentic learning, and active learning significantly predicted various motivational beliefs. Furthermore, active learning and expectancy were strong predictors of effective time management, while instructional modality and emotional cost were closely linked to academic procrastination. Notably, academic procrastination emerged as the sole significant predictor of academic achievement, measured by course grades. These results suggest that traditional curricula emphasizing textbook reading and code memorization may be ineffective in teaching computer science. Additionally, our study highlights a higher tendency for procrastination in online settings. We recommend a curriculum focused on personal relevance, authentic learning, and active learning to better motivate students and enhance their ability to manage their learning effectively. To improve academic achievement in computer science education, it is crucial to address maladaptive self-regulatory processes and motivational beliefs, which primarily arise from active learning and instructional modality. We will conclude with specific recommendations for designing learning environments that better support computer science education.

This paper unites the history of Computer Science (CS) Education in Ireland by plotting Ireland's roadmap leading to the implementation of formal Computer Science Education in schools. It first outlines the educational system in Ireland. The history roadmap starts in the 1970s with the first notions of introducing computing in post-primary school, and then continues up to the roll-out the CS curriculum in Ireland at the Senior Cycle level in 2018. The story is chiefly available in disparate publications and reports, so piecing together the entire story is often difficult. This paper collates the available literature, together with the authors' local knowledge of the process, into one paper that may be of interest locally and of value to other jurisdictions beginning their planning of national curricula. The paper describes the development and the current situation of the formal curricula in CS at second level. The current landscape of Computing Education at primary level, which at the time of writing is in the planning stages in Ireland, is described. Additionally, an investigation into the introduction of Computing Education in schools in the international jurisdictions that directly influenced the Irish roll-out takes place, to summarize any lessons learned that might provide insights for Ireland going forward.

In this study, the Computer Science (CS) education in K-12 of the countries in the "Asia-Pacific region", which are among the top 10 in PISA, and CS education of Türkiye were investigated. PISA is conducted to assess science, mathematics, and reading skills. PISA, which is carried out every 3 years by the OECD, evaluates 15-yearold students. When the countries that have been successful in PISA are examined, it has been observed that the number of countries in the "Asia-Pacific region" in the top 10 has increased in recent years. In this study, data analysis was done with document analysis, which included PISA results and reports, OECD reports, computer science curriculum of countries, and academic studies on PISA and computer science education. As a result of the data obtained, the countries' CS education was compared to identify successful practices. Also, the countries' practices in computer science education were compared to Türkiye, and implications were made about the effects of such works on PISA results.

Given the increasing needs of employees with computational skills, understanding the core competencies of K-12 computer science (CS) education is vital. This phenomenological research aims to identify critical factors of CS education in K-12 schools from the perspectives and visions of CS faculties in higher education and teachers in K-12 schools. This study adopted a phenomenological research design. The researchers conducted a semi-structured interview with 13 CS faculties and K-12 CS teachers in Michigan and analyzed the data using thematic analysis. The findings indicated that: (1) the core competencies for K-12 CS education include problem-solving through computational thinking, math background, and foundational programming skills, and (2) what is essential is not the programming languages taught in K-12 schools but computational thinking, which enables the learners to easily transfer from one language environment to another. The findings provide important implications for K-12 CS education regarding the core competencies and programming languages to be taught.

Purpose: The lecture method has been compared with teaching methods such as flip learning, cooperative learning and simulations to establish which holds the key to students' understanding of concepts. What is bereft in the education literature is its comparative efficiency with the culturo-techno contextual approach (CTCA) in the teaching of computer science education. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted the quasi-experimental design to determine the efficacy of the CTCA in breaking difficulties related to the study of spreadsheets as a difficult concept in the Nigerian computer science education curriculum. Junior high school students studying computer science education participated in the study. The control group had 30 students, with 35 students in the experimental group. The experimental group was taught using CTCA, while the control group used the lecture method. The spread sheet achievement test, which had 40 items on spreadsheet, was used to collect data. Findings: The results showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group [F (1,60) = 41.89; p < 0.05]. The findings showed the potential of CTCA in improving students' performance in spreadsheets in the computer science education curriculum. Originality/value: The originality of this study is hinged on its ground-breaking test of the CTCA to the study of the spreadsheet. The findings of this study indicate its efficacy in improving students' understanding of spreadsheet and computer science education.

The computing education research community now has at least 40 years of published research on teaching ethics in higher education. To examine the state of our field, we present a systematic literature review of papers in the "Association for Computing Machinery" computing education venues that describe teaching ethics in higher-education computing courses. Our review spans all papers published to SIGCSE, ICER, ITiCSE, CompEd, Koli Calling, and TOCE venues through 2022, with 100 papers fulfilling our inclusion criteria. Overall, we found a wide variety in content, teaching strategies, challenges, and recommendations. The majority of the papers did not articulate a conception of "ethics," and those that did used many different conceptions, from broadly applicable ethical theories to social impact to specific computing application areas (e.g., data privacy and hacking). Instructors used many different pedagogical strategies (e.g., discussions, lectures, assignments) and formats (e.g., stand-alone courses, incorporated within a technical course). Many papers identified measuring student knowledge as a particular challenge, and 59% of papers included mention of assessments or grading. Of the 69% of papers that evaluated their ethics instruction, most used student self-report surveys, course evaluations, and instructor reflections. While many papers included calls for more ethics content in computing, specific recommendations were rarely broadly applicable, preventing a synthesis of guidelines. To continue building on the last 40 years of research and move toward a set of best practices for teaching ethics in computing, our community should delineate our varied conceptions of ethics, examine which teaching strategies are best suited for each, and explore how to measure student learning.

Adaptive learning is a teaching approach aiming to personalize the learning experience for each student. In Computer Science Education (CSE), Adaptive Learning Systems (ALS) can provide students with customized lessons, exercises, and assessments based on their previous knowledge, strengths, and weaknesses. Some literature reviews focus on adaptive learning techniques, but none specifically analyze the methods used in adaptive systems in CSE. Our overall objective is to identify the computing techniques that are implemented within ALS to provide adaptive computer education in higher education. We conducted a scoping review (SR) based on the Guidelines for performing Systematic Literature Reviews in Software Engineering, defining six research questions and a search string. We performed searches in four databases, retrieving 512 documents. After applying the selection criteria, we selected 29 works. The results present quantitative and qualitative data from those 29 studies. Most research has used adaptive learning in programming education (12 articles) and databases (9 papers). Nine articles used learning styles as the core of adaptation, with the Felder-Silverman model being used by seven of them. The most commonly used approach was the rule-based system approach built by experts within the proposal, which was used in 17.24% of the articles. Clustering, collaborative filtering, fuzzy logic, and K-NN were used in 10.34% of the proposals. The positive aspect of "delivering adaptive content" was pointed out in seven articles. As for negative aspects, the problem of lack of student engagement was mentioned in four articles. This study discusses the application of dynamic and static models based on learning styles (LS) and the challenges involved in their use. Additionally, another aspect pointed out is that it is crucial to carefully consider pedagogical aspects in learning systems and have mixed development teams. The study also discusses student motivation and the use of gamification elements as a strategy to engage students in electronic learning systems. Finally, the results also indicate that the level of student knowledge is typically represented by a student model (SM), and the growing trend is the use of hybrid SMs. The research identified the most studied areas in ALS in CSE, such as computer programming and databases. The most common techniques used in ALS were rule-based systems built by experts, fuzzy logic, and clustering. The most common feature of ALS identified was learning resources, and the majority of studies focused on investigating the impact of system accuracy. This research can help researchers design better adaptive learning systems and understand challenges that need to be addressed.

Purpose: The lecture method has been compared with teaching methods such as flip learning, cooperative learning and simulations to establish which holds the key to students' understanding of concepts. What is bereft in the education literature is its comparative efficiency with the culturo-techno contextual approach (CTCA) in the teaching of computer science education. Design/methodology/approach: This study adopted the quasi-experimental design to determine the efficacy of the CTCA in breaking difficulties related to the study of spreadsheets as a difficult concept in the Nigerian computer science education curriculum. Junior high school students studying computer science education participated in the study. The control group had 30 students, with 35 students in the experimental group. The experimental group was taught using CTCA, while the control group used the lecture method. The spread sheet achievement test, which had 40 items on spreadsheet, was used to collect data. Findings: The results showed that the experimental group significantly outperformed the control group [F (1,60) = 41.89; p < 0.05]. The findings showed the potential of CTCA in improving students' performance in spreadsheets in the computer science education curriculum. Originality/value: The originality of this study is hinged on its ground-breaking test of the CTCA to the study of the spreadsheet. The findings of this study indicate its efficacy in improving students' understanding of spreadsheet and computer science education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contribution: This article analyzes the learning and motivational impact of teacher-authored educational video games on computer science education and compares its effectiveness in both face-to-face and online (remote) formats. This work presents comparative data and findings obtained from 217 students who played the game in a face-to-face format (control group) and 104 students who played the game in an online format (experimental group). Background: Serious video games have been proven effective at computer science education, however, it is still unknown whether the effectiveness of these games is the same regardless of their format, face-to-face or online. Moreover, the usage of games created through authoring tools has barely been explored. Research Questions: Are teacher-authored educational video games effective in terms of learning and motivation for computer science students? Does the effectiveness of teacher-authored educational video games depend on whether they are used in a face-to-face or online format? Methodology: A quasi-experiment has been conducted by using three instruments (pre-test, post-test, and questionnaire) with the purpose of comparing the effectiveness of game-based learning in face-to-face and online formats. A total of 321 computer science students played a teacher-authored educational video game aimed to learn about software design. Findings: The results reveal that teacher-authored educational video games are highly effective in terms of knowledge acquisition and motivation both in face-to-face and online formats. The results also show that some students' perceptions were more positive when a face-to-face format was used.

AbstractComputer science (CS) teachers are still learning how to enact culturally-sustaining/revitalizing CS education for Indigenous students. In response, elementary teachers on the Wind River Reservation, a professional development provider, researchers, and the Wyoming Department of Education formed a researcher-practitioner collaborative to implement and study the implementation of culturally- sustaining/revitalizing CS lessons using design-based implementation research (DBIR) practices. Researchers collected data via interviews, reflection forms, and observations. Findings indicated that teachers used students’ funds of knowledge to support engagement and expanded lessons to reflect Indigenous priorities of language revitalization and Tribal sovereignty. Creating culturally-sustaining/revitalizing CS education was a collective activity, drawing on interdependence of teachers and students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers Ancestral Computing for Sustainability (ACS) to dismantle the logics of settler colonialism that affect accessibility, identities, and epistemologies of computer science education (CSE). ACS centers Indigenous epistemologies in researching CSE across four public universities in the United States. This paper describes Ancestral Computing for Sustainability and explores reflections of two students engaging as researchers in ACS inquiry. Drawing on Indigenous methodologies and Participatory Action Research, they share their reflections as co-researchers in ACS through storywork. These critical reflections include their relationship to computing, observations of the interdependent work within ACS, ethics and sustainability, and their experiences within the focus groups. The article ends with recommendations for furthering ACS as a decolonial approach that centers Indigenous epistemologies in CSE. Recommendations for CSE education include Ancestral Knowledge Systems and adding sustainability as a topic within computing education pathways and building student-faculty relationships based on trust is recommended to foster students' academic and personal growth within CSE education and research.

Research Problem: Computer science (CS) education researchers conducting studies that target high school students have likely seen their studies impacted by COVID-19. Interpreting research findings impacted by COVID-19 presents unique challenges that will require a deeper understanding as to how the pandemic has affected underserved and underrepresented students studying or unable to study computing. Research Question: Our research question for this study was: "In what ways has the high school computer science educational ecosystem for students been impacted by COVID-19, particularly when comparing schools based on relative socioeconomic status of a majority of students?" Methodology: We used an exploratory sequential mixed methods study to understand the types of impacts high school CS educators have seen in their practice over the past year using the CAPE theoretical dissaggregation framework to measure schools' Capacity to offer CS, student Access to CS education, student Participation in CS, and Experiences of students taking CS. Data Collection Procedure: We developed an instrument to collect qualitative data from open-ended questions, then collected data from CS high school educators (n = 21) and coded them across CAPE. We used the codes to create a quantitative instrument. We collected data from a wider set of CS high school educators (n = 185), analyzed the data, and considered how these findings shape research conducted over the last year. Findings: Overall, practitioner perspectives revealed that capacity for CS Funding, Policy & Curriculum in both types of schools grew during the pandemic, while the capacity to offer physical and human resources decreased. While access to extracurricular activities decreased, there was still a significant increase in the number of CS courses offered. Fewer girls took CS courses and attendance decreased. Student learning and engagement in CS courses were significantly impacted, while other noncognitive factors like interest in CS and relevance of technology saw increases. Practitioner perspectives also indicated that schools serving students from lower-income families had (1) a greater decrease in the number of students who received information about CS/CTE pathways; (2) a greater decrease in the number of girls enrolled in CS classes; (3) a greater decrease in the number of students receiving college credit for dual-credit CS courses; (4) a greater decrease in student attendance; and (5) a greater decrease in the number of students interested in taking additional CS courses. On the flip-side, schools serving students from higher income families had significantly higher increases in the number of students interested in taking additional CS courses.

Using games in education has the potential to increase students' motivation and engagement in the learning process, gathering long-lasting practical knowledge. Expanding interest in implementing a game-based approach in computer science education highlights the need for a comprehensive overview of the literature research. This scoping review aims to provide insight into current trends and identify research gaps and potential research topics concerning game-based learning in computer science. Using standard methodology for scoping review, we identified 113 articles from four digital libraries published between 2017 and 2021. Those articles were analyzed concerning the educational level, type of the game, computer science topic covered by the game, pedagogical strategies, and purpose for implementing this approach in different educational levels. The results show that the number of research articles has increased through the years, confirming the importance of implementing a game-based approach in computer science. Different kinds of games, using different technology, concerning different computer science topics are presented in the research. The obtained results indicate that there is no standardized game or standardized methodology that can be used for the creation of an educational game for computer science education. Analyzed articles mainly implement a game-based approach using learning by playing, and no significant focus is given to the effectiveness of learning by designing a game as a pedagogical strategy. Moreover, the approach is mainly implemented for developing computational thinking or programming skills, highlighting the need for its implementation in other topics beyond programming.

When we "think like a computer scientist," we are able to systematically solve problems in different fields, create software applications that support various needs, and design artefacts that model complex systems. Abstraction is a soft skill embedded in all those endeavours, being a main cornerstone of computational thinking. Our overview of abstraction is intended to be not so much systematic as thought provoking, inviting the reader to (re)think abstraction from different -- and perhaps unusual -- perspectives. After presenting a range of its characterisations, we will explore abstraction from a cognitive point of view. Then we will discuss the role of abstraction in a range of computer science areas, including whether and how abstraction is taught. Although it is impossible to capture the essence of abstraction in one sentence, one section or a single paper, we hope our insights into abstraction may help computer science educators to better understand, model and even dare to teach abstraction skills.

This study investigated the role of virtual reality (VR) in computer science (CS) education over the last 10 years by conducting a bibliometric and content analysis of articles related to the use of VR in CS education. A total of 971 articles published in peer-reviewed journals and conferences were collected from Web of Science and Scopus databases to conduct the bibliometric analysis. Furthermore, content analysis was conducted on 39 articles that met the inclusion criteria. This study demonstrates that VR research for CS education was faring well around 2011 but witnessed low production output between the years 2013 and 2016. However, scholars have increased their contribution in this field recently, starting from the year 2017. This study also revealed prolific scholars contributing to the field. It provides insightful information regarding research hotspots in VR that have emerged recently, which can be further explored to enhance CS education. In addition, the quantitative method remains the most preferred research method, while the questionnaire was the most used data collection technique. Moreover, descriptive analysis was primarily used in studies on VR in CS education. The study concludes that even though scholars are leveraging VR to advance CS education, more effort needs to be made by stakeholders across countries and institutions. In addition, a more rigorous methodological approach needs to be employed in future studies to provide more evidence-based research output. Our future study would investigate the pedagogy, content, and context of studies on VR in CS education.

Computer science education (CSEd) is a growing interdisciplinary area that continues to gain momentum from students, researchers, and educators. Yet, there are few formal programs or degree options for students interested in pursuing graduate work in CSEd. This article explores the existing state of CSEd in the United States (U.S.) through semi-structured interviews with (n = 15) faculty engaged in CSEd research. Thematic coding of the transcripts revealed the complexities involved in the development of formal programs, the distinct considerations for faculty, and the value of having strong ties to both computer science and education. The themes described positive aspects of support and cohesion within the larger community and opportunities to expand knowledge across fields. Applying Cornell and Parker's principles of interdisciplinary science to the field of CSEd, we provide recommendations for ways forward and discuss the potential impact on institutional structures, research capacity, individual and group identities, and teaching and learning. The findings from this investigation not only inform on the present state of CSEd in the U.S., but also offer guidance for CSEd-focused graduate programs.

Computer Science (CS) education is an emergent growth area in schools worldwide. This paper explores how CS education has evolved at the high school level (grades 10-12) in the Canadian province of Alberta over the past decade after a reorganization and curriculum redesign of its Computing Science Education (CSE) program. In partnership with Alberta Education, a complete list of course records was obtained for high school students who had taken CSE course credits between 2009 and 2019. These course completions were analyzed for overall growth trends and then further examined with respect to course level, urbanicity, and gender. We found that growth in course credit completion has been consistent over the 10-year study period (annual average growth rate of 33.5%). Advanced course credits have grown faster than introductory course credits, urban areas have grown faster than rural areas, and gender growth rates have been similar for males and females. Understanding the growth rates of CSE course enrollments at the high school level will contribute to identifying some of the challenges encountered during the implementation of the CSE program of studies in Alberta.

Ubiquitous computing, mobile computing and the Internet of Things (UMI) have been widely used in several application areas. To date, methods and techniques for the application of these technologies in real life situations have continued to emerge; however, their use in education settings focusing on existing practices remain largely underexplored. A systematic mapping study (SMS) method was herein used to map initially identified 395 articles with the aims of systematically analyzing and presenting the evidence from the literature on the topic, and to identify important gaps as well as promising research directions. An appropriate methodological protocol has been adopted from the literature for the analysis, filtering, evaluation and report of the evidence. As a result, twenty-five studies have been selected and analyzed. The axes of analyzing systematically the literature were inspired by an existing UMI learning ecology. The analysis revealed important characteristics of existing UMI related educational practices in all levels of education, including contexts and actors involved, methods and digital tools used, affordances and learning approaches important for achieving effective learning in IoT, Mobile and Ubiquitous Computing domain.

At current e-learning platforms, is often seen non-efficient usage of their possibilities when creating educational content. This article deals with the possibilities of using adaptive tools that are offered by learning management system (LMS) Moodle when creating a personalised e-course. The methodology created by the authors of the article for personalised e-course adjusts the study content based on characteristics of each student stated by his or her initial knowledge, learning style, and motivation. The article is aimed at the presentation of the created methodology and its impact on the level of student's output knowledge as well as overall learning efficiency. By using the methodology, there was an opportunity to compare the impact of two different approaches -- the personalised one and non-personalised. Statistical analysis revealed that the use of personalized e-course has a positive impact on students' activity, motivation, and their level of output knowledge. The results showed that the attended secondary school has no or only minimal impact on the output knowledge if the students studied through the personalized e-course. An interesting finding was that students in all surveys have a stronger tendency to prefer the same learning styles over the years.

The aim of this conceptual article is to provide a framework and a lens for educators in diversifying and making CS education more inclusive. In this article, we conceptualize the notion of computer science capital (CSC), which extends Bourdieu's sociological theory of capital and Archer et al.'s work on "science capital." The CSC concept was developed by contrasting the concept of science capital with a literature review on key factors affecting students' aspirations in CS. We argue that there is a need to distinguish between science capital and CSC, because the types of capital that are considered legitimate vary between the field of natural science and computer science. The CSC concept uses a sociocultural perspective on learning and can be understood as a form of symbolic capital that is influential in facilitating students' possibility to fully participate in, engage with, and form aspirations in CS. The CSC concept consists of three main components, each with associated subcomponents. We believe our CSC framework, along with the self-reflection prompts included in this article, will offer support for reflections for educators in their daily pedagogical work. By taking students' various levels of social and cultural capital into consideration, educators can plan didactic activities with a focus to strengthen students' various types of capital. This includes reflection on how implicit and explicit norms, beliefs, thoughts, expectations, values, and ideas can affect the pedagogical practices and ultimately the students. Only when we are reflective about our teaching practices can we be better positioned to construct a more inclusive teaching and learning environment.