Students' experiences and attitudes towards learning computer science

Peters, Anne-Kathrin; Pears, Arnold

doi:10.1109/fie.2012.6462238

Cited by 13 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Results of our pilot study [2] as well as of our preliminary data analysis of novice students' reflections indicate that students in different CS-related study programs reason, engage, and define themselves in relation to the knowledge content of the discipline. In the introductory example, the student is interested in complex problems, that relate to society.…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%

“…It has been pointed out as a critical aspect in recent research [2], [4], [5], but it has hardly been explored in higher education research so far [6], [7]. How should identity be understood so that research on identity development addresses problems such as low engagement in CS and IT?…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This statement was made by a student in the Sociotechnical Systems Engineering degree programme at the end of an introductory course in Computer Science (CS) [1], [2], explaining why he will probably not choose CS as an area for further study. Unfortunately the student's utterance paints a relatively narrow picture of what a computer scientist is, and, apparently, one that the student cannot identify with.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Engagement in Computer Science and IT -- What! A Matter of Identity?

Peters

Pears

2013

2013 Learning and Teaching in Computing and Engineering

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract-In this paper, we develop and illustrate the use of a new theoretical framework to systematically investigate the development of student identity in Computer Science and IT. Identity has been identified as a critical issue in the endeavour to increase students' engagement in Computer Science and related areas. Findings from earlier studies indicate that students' doubts about future engagement are often due to an unfortunate perception of the discipline, that it lacks meaning, which leads to a tendency to dissociate themselves from IT and Computer Science as an area of further study. To understand different ways of experiencing engagement in the discipline as personally meaningful, we have integrated aspects of Lave and Wenger's social theory of learning, especially Wenger's notion of meaning, with a model developed by Entwistle that describes how conceptions of learning and knowledge expand and evolve in the context of the educational experience. We explore the use of this theoretical framework on reflections that we collected from all novice students of the Computer Science and IT engineering programme at Uppsala University, in which the students reflect on their choice of study program, goals, and expectations for education. The theoretical framework is furthermore discussed with respect to our broader research project to study students' identity development in Computer Science and IT as well as the role of education, how it supports or hinders students and how this can be used to inform educational development.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Engagement in Computer Science and IT -- What! A Matter of Identity?

Peters

Pears

2013

2013 Learning and Teaching in Computing and Engineering

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Recent research on retention [7] as well as preliminary findings of this project [4,5] indicate that identity is critical in student engagement in CS and IT. This project has two goals: Exploration of how identity development can be investigated, as well as insights into CS and IT students' identity development and negotiation of meaning.…”

Section: Context and Motivationmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…10.1145/2493394.2493427 ACM 978-1-4503-2243-0/13/08 tory computer science (CS) course [4]. The student reasons about why he will probably not choose CS as an area for further study, based on a rather narrow perception of what CS is about, CS being coding, not dealing with broader questions of the society.…”

Section: Context and Motivationmentioning

confidence: 97%

Identity development of CS and IT students

Peters

2013

Proceedings of the Ninth Annual International ACM Conference on International Computing Education Research

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

How do computer science and engineering IT students become computer scientists or IT engineers and how do they perceive their engagement in the discipline as meaningful? What is the role of education in this respect, and how does education support or hinder students' identity development?A research project is described, that addresses these questions by studying students' development throughout their first three years in university. Data is collected from students of two study programs at Uppsala University, "Computer Science" and "Engineering IT". It is an explorative study as previous research is sparse. Outcomes are insights into identity development as well as a theoretical framework and research instruments.

show abstract

The Learning Centered Ideology–How Much Should We Know About Our Students?

Heywood

2018

Empowering Professional Teaching in Engineering

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Students' experiences and attitudes towards learning computer science

Cited by 13 publications

References 15 publications

Engagement in Computer Science and IT -- What! A Matter of Identity?

Engagement in Computer Science and IT -- What! A Matter of Identity?

Identity development of CS and IT students

The Learning Centered Ideology–How Much Should We Know About Our Students?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About