Using Scratch and Female Role Models while Storytelling Improves Fifth-Grade Students' Attitudes toward Computing

Zaidi, M. Raza; Freihofer, Isabel; Townsend, Gloria Childress

doi:10.1145/3017680.3022451

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The wider implication of this study is that the design and creation of e-learning games, which are inclusively motivationally appealing, could be used to effectively influence the perception of subjects that are identified as not motivationally appealing to a target group. Whilst previous studies (Esper et al, 2013;Zaidi et al, 2017) have suggested the use of e-learning games to encourage more girls into computer science, this study provides the empirical evidence on how this can be successfully implemented.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Motivationally Appealing Computer Science e-Learning Games: An Inclusive Design Approach

Osunde,

Bacon,

Mackinnon

2023

EJEL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Research has shown that e-learning games do not have the same level of appeal to girls, as they do to boys; particularly in the crucial 11-14 age group. In the United Kingdom, this is typically when they start to make subject choices that impact their future studies and careers. Given the shortage of females who choose computer science as a career, this study explores how e-learning games can be designed to be motivationally appealing to young learners. It further explores the role of game representations and its appeal to this age group. This empirical study addresses the research question: “Can we develop e-learning games which appeal and motivate girls of age 11-14 to study computer science concepts?” Two e-learning games were developed: one included game representations such as game colour, graphics, character, age appropriateness, storyline, number of players, violence, identified as appealing to young females and the other game included antithetical or neutral representations. The two developed prototypes were used to explore key e-learning game representations as used to teach computer science concepts. A total of 304 participants, comprising of 152 girls and 152 boys from a combination of same sex and mixed secondary schools in Southeast England, engaged with both experimental games. The experiment also elicited information on how learners interact with these games and the resulting game appeal, motivation and learning. The insight gained from the analysis of data captured during the experiments, provide the evidence to demonstrate that inclusive e-learning games which motivate and appeal to girls of age 11-14 can be developed. This can have a positive influence on their willingness to use such games to learn computer science concepts. This implies that the study found positive outcomes related to e-learning game appeal, motivation and the learning of girls of this age group. A follow-up longitudinal study could investigate the impact of significant e-learning game representations that appeal to the target group. This could provide additional evidence on the changes in the appeal of the investigated significant game representations over time, due to the influence of other factors such as socio-economic and socio-cultural differences. This understanding can further enhance inclusive e-learning strategies to improve diversity in computer science education and consequently the career pipeline.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…In the Talking Alice, appealing characters, pre-programmed behaviours such as dancing, talking etc. are used to engage the learners while learning key programming concepts (Zaidi, Freihofer and Townsend, 2017).…”

Section: Overview Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

Motivationally Appealing Computer Science e-Learning Games: An Inclusive Design Approach

Osunde,

Bacon,

Mackinnon

2023

EJEL

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…DS acts as a platform to provide intercultural understanding among students.DS promotes gender equality. According to Zaidi et al (2017), storytelling with female role models using scratch improves women's representation in computing and motivates girls to learn programming. Teaching programming using conceptual way creates less interest to children (Zaidi et al, 2017).…”

Section: Literature Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Zaidi et al (2017), storytelling with female role models using scratch improves women's representation in computing and motivates girls to learn programming. Teaching programming using conceptual way creates less interest to children (Zaidi et al, 2017). Facilitating how to write code by storytelling explores children's potential to create their own digital stories with creative code.…”

Section: Literature Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

Programming and epic-based digital storytelling using scratch

Yamunathangam¹

2021

IJCC

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Storytelling is a powerful tool to impart traditional and cultural values to children. There is a decline in the legacy of oral storytelling tradition followed by our ancestors. Digital storytelling has emerged as the successor and the modern storytelling method follows similar strategies of classical storytelling. Digital storytelling has started its evolution in teaching and learning process and emerged as the best tool to engage teachers and their students. Middle school students use various digital storytelling environments to learn a programming language. In this paper, epic-based digital storytelling (EBDS) pedagogy using scratch to learn a programming language is discussed. The various aspects of using EBDS in education are given in the paper.

show abstract

“…For instance, Giannakos, Jaccheri, and Proto [21] developed a Scratch activity where children worked alongside adults to create interactive artworks for the purposeful goal of encouraging youth to become digital creators through programming. Related efforts have included situating Scratch within the context of students' other interests, including music [17,31], storytelling [4,76], or, most often, video games. These approaches have resulted in tens of thousands of digital artifacts created by children in the Scratch online community, referencing popular commercial game franchises and narratives [36].…”

Section: Three Framings Of Computational Thinkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

From theory bias to theory dialogue

2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

T he increased interest in promoting CS education for all has been coalescing around the idea of "computational thinking. " Several framings for promoting computational thinking in K-12 education have been proposed by practitioners and researchers that each place different emphases on either (1) skill and competence building, (2) creative expression and participation, or (3) social justice and ethics. We review each framing and how the framings structure the theory space of computational thinking. We then discuss how CS education can leverage the explanatory potential that each framing offers to the implementation and evaluation of learning, teaching, and tools in computing education. Our goal is to help CS education researchers, teachers, and designers unpack and leverage the complexities of this theory space (rather than ignoring it) while also addressing broader educational concerns regarding diversity, providing new directions for how students and teachers can actively participate in designing their digital futures, and directing current computing education efforts towards a more humanistic orientation.

show abstract

Using Scratch and Female Role Models while Storytelling Improves Fifth-Grade Students' Attitudes toward Computing

Cited by 8 publications

References 5 publications

Motivationally Appealing Computer Science e-Learning Games: An Inclusive Design Approach

Motivationally Appealing Computer Science e-Learning Games: An Inclusive Design Approach

Programming and epic-based digital storytelling using scratch

From theory bias to theory dialogue

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About