Exploring Practical Measures as an Approach for Measuring Elementary Students’ Attitudes Toward Computer Science

• In Event: Applications in Systematic and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

This paper presents a novel approach for predicting the outcomes of elementary students’ participation in computer science (CS) instruction by using exit tickets, a type of practical measure, where students provide rapid feedback on their instructional experiences. Such feedback can help teachers to inform ongoing teaching and instructional practices. We fit a Structural Equation Model to examine whether students' perceptions of enjoyment, ease, and connections between mathematics and CS in an integrated lesson predicted their affective outcomes in self-efficacy, interest, and CS identity, collected in a pre- post- survey. We found that practical measures can validly measure student experiences.

Authors

• Umar Shehzad, Utah State University

• Mimi M. Recker, Utah State University

• Jody E. Clarke-Midura, Utah State University