Promoting Teaching Self-efficacy in Computational Thinking of School Teachers

Zhao, Ming; Zhao, Mei; Wang, Xiaohong; Ma, Hongliang

doi:10.1109/eitt50754.2020.00048

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…Teachers are more likely to engage in a practice if they feel like they can be successful at achieving results [57] so building communities of practice that evaluate instruction and student work and provide informative feedback will also build confidence. In addition, professional development opportunities have been shown to improve teachers' confidence and self-efficacy when integrating CT [55,80,81].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Computational Thinking in Elementary Science Lessons Using a Multilevel Model Approach

Pietros,

Shim,

Sweetman

2023

Education Research International

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Computational thinking (CT) is an essential problem-solving skill that students need to successfully live and work with developing technologies. There is an increasing call in the literature by researchers and policy leaders to integrate CT at the elementary level into core subjects to provide early and equitable access for all students. While some critics may claim the concepts and skills of CT are developmentally advanced for elementary age students, subjects such as science can provide real-world and relevant problems to which foundational CT components can be applied. By assessing how CT concepts and approaches integrate authentically into current science lessons, policymakers, and district leaders can be more intentional in supporting implementation efforts. This research used an exploratory survey design to examine the frequencies of CT concepts (decomposition, algorithms, abstraction, and pattern recognition) and approaches (tinkering, creating, debugging, perseverance, and collaboration) that exist in science in K–5 schools in a northeast state in the United States as reported by elementary science teachers (n = 259). Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze the influence of teacher and district factors on the amount of time CT concepts and approaches were integrated in the science lessons. Experience, grade level, confidence, and participation in a research–practice partnership were found to be significant predictors of CT. This study contributes to a better understanding of variables affecting CT teaching frequency that can be leveraged to impact reform efforts supporting CT integration in science.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting Computational Thinking in Elementary Science Lessons Using a Multilevel Model Approach

Pietros,

Shim,

Sweetman

2023

Education Research International

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“…Teachers' self-efficacy is essential in teaching, according to both theoretical and practical investigations. Low self-efficacy, on the other hand, has a negative impact on teaching effectiveness and performance [23].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Learning to Program: an In-service Teachers’ Perspective

Rouhani

Lillebo

Farshchian

et al. 2022

2022 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON)

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Learning to program is often reported as challenging. Difficulties might be connected to, e.g., acquisition of core concepts like iteration, specific language constructs, and program design. Additionally, mastery of a programming language's constructs does not consequently translate into solving new programming problems. These challenges have to be taken into account in the context of in-service teachers' professional development (PD). In this paper, we address challenges teachers face when learning to program, considering these closely related questions: What do teachers perceive as difficult and how does this impact the perception of challenges their students will face? How does this influence the perception of teaching programming? The paper is based on the analysis of 178 reflection notes delivered by in-service teachers attending a universitylevel course on programming to identify issues related to the research questions. Out of the topics that we have selected from the literature as challenging for newcomers, the most difficult ones for teachers seem to be writing code and pseudocode to solve a specific problem. The easiest ones are understanding variable initialization and if statements. Also, teachers express that pupils will struggle with many aspects of programming and point to the complexity and students' misconceptions inherent in several programming concepts such as loops. Our results suggest that it is not necessarily difficult to learn to program if in-service teachers are given paid time to learn.

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“…Studies by Boulden et al (2021) and Rich et al (2021) found that primary school preservice teachers held different self-efficacy beliefs towards programming and the teaching of CT that were not influenced by their demographic characteristics. Moreover, Zhao et al (2020) discovered that teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs concerning the teaching of CT increased during a three-week Scratch online course.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fostering preservice teachers’ expectancies and values towards computational thinking

et al. 2022

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TheoryDigital technologies have become an integral part of everyday life that children are exposed to. Therefore, it is important for children to acquire an understanding of these technologies early on by teaching them computational thinking (CT) as a part of STEM. However, primary school teachers are often reluctant to teach CT. Expectancy-value theory suggests that motivational components play an important role in teaching and learning. Thus, one hindrance to teachers’ willingness to teach CT might be their low expectancies of success and high emotional costs, e.g., anxiety towards CT. Thus, introducing preservice teachers to CT during their university years might be a promising way to support their expectancies and values, while simultaneously alleviating their emotional costs. Prior CT competences might contribute to these outcomes.AimsWe investigated whether a specifically designed seminar on CT affected preservice teachers’ expectancies and values towards programming.Method: A total of 311 German primary school and special education preservice teachers took part in the study. The primary school preservice teachers received a seminar on CT and programming with low-threshold programming tasks, while the special education teachers served as a baseline group. The seminar was specifically designed to enhance expectancies and values and decrease emotional costs, following implications of research on expectancy-value theory.ResultsThe preservice teachers who visited the seminar gained higher expectancies and values towards CT and programming compared to the baseline group. Moreover, their emotional costs decreased. CT was positively related to change in expectancies and values and negatively related to emotional costs.DiscussionInterventions with low-threshold programming tasks can support primary school preservice teachers in finding trust in their abilities and values towards CT. Moreover, their anxiety towards CT and programming can be alleviated. Thus, first steps in preparing preservice teachers to teach CT in their future classrooms can be taken in university.

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Promoting Teaching Self-efficacy in Computational Thinking of School Teachers

Cited by 5 publications

References 21 publications

Predicting Computational Thinking in Elementary Science Lessons Using a Multilevel Model Approach

Predicting Computational Thinking in Elementary Science Lessons Using a Multilevel Model Approach

Learning to Program: an In-service Teachers’ Perspective

Fostering preservice teachers’ expectancies and values towards computational thinking

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