A State-Wide Effort to Provide Access to Authentic Computer Science Education to Underrepresented Populations

Qazi, Mohammed A.; Gray, Jeff; Shannon, David; Russell, Melody L.; Thomas, Misty

doi:10.1145/3328778.3366955

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…A grim situation occurring in most urban and rural school districts’ math and science achievement scores ( National Center for Education Statistics, 1996 ; Qazi et al, 2020 ) has drawn concerns from local and state groups as well as the higher education institutions in our area. Educators point to poverty rates, lack of resources, and poor parental involvement as its root causes.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retrieval Practices Enhance Computational and Scientific Thinking Skills

et al. 2022

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The notion of teaching experts’ habits of mind (e.g., computational thinking and scientific thinking) to novices seems to have inspired many educators and researchers worldwide. In particular, a great deal of efforts has been invested in computational thinking (CT) and its manifestations in different fields. However, there remain some troubling spots in CT education as far as how to teach it at different levels of education. The same argument applies to teaching scientific thinking (ST) skills. A remedy has been suggested to narrow CT and ST skillsets down to core cognitive competencies so they can be introduced in early and middle grades and continue to be nurtured during secondary and post-secondary years. Neuroscientists suggest that theact of (computational) thinkingis strongly linked to the acts of informationstorage/retrievalby our brain. Plus, years of research have shown that retrieval practices promote not only knowledge retention but also inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning. Not surprisingly, these reasoning skills are core elements of both CT and ST skillsets. This article will mesh the findings of a teacher professional development with the existing literature to lay a claim that retrieval practices enhance CT and ST skills. The study offered training to secondary school teachers (n = 275) who conducted classroom action research to measure the impact of retrieval practices on teaching and learning of STEM and CT concepts. We used a quasi-experimental research design with purposeful sampling and a sequential mixed-methods approach focusing on the impact of professional development on teacher outcomes and, in turn, on student outcomes. A survey of teacher participants showed that the majority (96%) of survey respondents (n = 232) reported a good understanding of retrieval strategies, and how relevant ideas can be implemented and tested in the classroom. A large number of action research (target-control) studies by teachers (n = 122) showed that students who learned STEM and CS concepts through retrieval practices consistently scored 5–30% higher than those using the usual blocked practice. In most cases, the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). While the study contributes to retrieval practices literature, those looking for best practices to teach core CT and ST skills should benefit from it the most. The study concludes with some recommendations for future research based on the limitations of its current findings.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retrieval Practices Enhance Computational and Scientific Thinking Skills

et al. 2022

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“…Curricula based around the Scratch programming environment have also been developed and tested in and outside of school (Franklin et al, 2020;Yang et al, 2021). Finally, studies evaluating the rollout of the Exploring Computer Science (ECS) curriculum in schools have recently been published (McGee et al, 2018;Ryoo, 2019;Qazi et al, 2020). We will discuss each of these sets of studies in turn.…”

Section: Us = United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based entirely in formal education settings, three recent studies have evaluated the implementation of the ECS curriculum over five different states (McGee et al, 2018;Ryoo, 2019;Qazi et al, 2020). Student engagement and interest in CS were positively affected across all three studies, with Qazi et al reporting students' perceived improvement specifically in creativity, problem solving, critical thinking and collaboration.…”

Section: Us = United Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the later studies found through the QSR revealed that opportunities to highlight the personal and sociopolitical relevance of computing, to position learners as active agents of change, and to engage in openended and problem-solving activities is indeed possible within a formal computing curriculum (McGee et al, 2018;Ryoo, 2019;Qazi et al, 2020). The ECS curriculum incorporates these elements of culturally responsive teaching throughout its different units.…”

Section: Design Principlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Culturally-relevant and responsive pedagogy in computing: A Quick Scoping Review

Leonard

Sentance²

2021

IJCSES

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The underrepresentation of certain groups in computing has led to increasing efforts in the United States (US) to develop computing curricula that is responsive and relevant to a more diverse group of learners. In England, despite a mandatory computing curriculum from age 5, a similar problem is seen in terms of representation in formal Computer Science qualifications as in the US. The current paper used a Quick Scoping Review methodology to identify research that has implemented and evaluated culturally-responsive and relevant K-12 computing curricula, and to understand how they have been designed, the methods used for evaluation, and the factors affecting their success. In total, 12 papers were included in the review and all were from a US setting. Successes included changing learners’ attitudes towards computing and increased learning gains. Key factors in the implementation of the curricula were teacher confidence and understanding of the sociopolitical context of computing, opportunities provided for collaboration and sharing knowledge and opinions, and allowing time for difficult discussions without oversimplifying the issues. The review identifies important lessons to be learned for other countries, including England, aiming to increase the diversity in representation in computing in their schools.

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