International Scaling of the Coding as Another Language Curriculum Through a Research-Practice Partnership in Argentina

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Cultivating Computational and Scientific Thinking Through Research-Practice Partnerships, Cross-Cultural Adaptations, and Equity-Oriented Co-Design for Educators (Table 11)

Abstract

Early childhood computer science (CS) education is a high-priority area around the world, leading to the creation of developmentally appropriate platforms, pedagogies, and curricula. However, despite an interest in early childhood CS education worldwide, most materials and tools are developed in the United States or Europe. In this study, we translated, localized, and adapted the Coding as Another Language (CAL) ScratchJr curriculum for kindergarten through second grade for use in two provinces in Argentina. We then evaluated it using a cluster-randomized controlled trial and multi-level modeling. The adapted curriculum significantly improved students’ coding knowledge and computational thinking compared to the control condition (p’s < 0.05), suggesting the CAL-ScratchJr curriculum can be successfully adapted for use outside the United States.

Authors

• Tess Gavrielle Levinson, Wildlife Conservation Society

• Francisca Carocca P., Boston College

• Marina U. Bers, Boston College