Epistemological Pluralism for Diversifying Preservice Early Childhood Teachers' Programming Experience

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 18
  In Roundtable Session: Technology as an Agent for Change in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

Research indicates that computer programming in a bricolage manner is equally strong as structure programming. In this study, we investigated how and why 26 preservice, early childhood teachers learning to program employed diverse approaches to programming. Data included classroom videos, interviews, written reflections, submitted code, and questionnaires. Analysis involved open and axial coding. Findings included (a) all tinkered through trial and error but this does not mean that analytical means were never used, (b) divide-and-conquer was practiced, (c) analytical means were often used in locating the bug whereas tinkering was used mostly in fixing the bug, (d) unnoticing when/where to tinker compromised the programming goal, and (e) robot programming was perceived as creative, artistic, and playful.

Authors

• ChanMin Kim, Pennsylvania State University

• Brian R. Belland, The Pennsylvania State University

• Duygu Umutlu, Bogazici University