Elementary teacher educators’ response to integrating computational thinking (Poster 6)

• In Event: Expansive Views on the Role of Computing and Digital Literacies in Teacher Education

Abstract

Summary
Computational thinking (CT) is a critical foundation to computer science that is developmentally appropriate for elementary students. In order to provide equitable access to CT for students, schools of education must prepare elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs). However, most teacher education programs do not include CT in their curricula (Code.org, 2023). In order to convince programs to add CT, it is critical to understand reasons for resistance as well as areas where faculty might be accepting of adopting CT education. This interview study investigates the attitudes of elementary teacher educators at a Midwest metropolitan university.

Objectives and significance
Computational thinking (CT), an approach to problem-solving that allows problems and solutions to be represented by computers (Wing, 2011), is an effective approach in elementary grades. In order to provide equitable access to computing education, elementary teachers must be prepared to teach CT. While professional development to support in-service teachers is a temporary solution (Delyser et al., 2018), schools of education must add CT to teacher preparation programs to ensure high-quality instruction for all students (Yadav et al., 2014). Prior research has identified promising approaches to prepare PSTs (e.g., Jung & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2020; Tondeur et al., 2012). The question is why more programs have not integrated CT into PST education, especially given an increasingly computational world? This study investigates the attitudes of faculty at one midwestern metropolitan university to understand resistance to adding CT to their curriculum and what approaches might result in adoption. Understanding the beliefs and values of teacher educators can serve to inform efforts to include CT in pre-service teacher education.

Theoretical framework
This study builds upon prior work by Yadav et al. (2017) and Tondeur et al. (2012) relating to the preparation of elementary pre-service teachers. It uses CS Visions (Santo et al., 2019) as a theoretical framework to investigate the core values of participants and how those relate to curricular change and to integrating CT.

Data and methods
Data for this study are being collected from faculty who teach elementary teaching methods in a midwestern metropolitan university. Elementary pre-service teachers (PSTs) take a series of methods courses, both general and emphasizing literacy, mathematics, and science. Interviews are being conducted with each faculty member responsible for one or more elementary methods courses. Interviews use the CS Visions activity to elicit faculty values around computing education, as well as probing faculty reactions to adding CT to the curriculum. Data will be analyzed using thematic coding as well as deductive codes from the CS Visions framework.

Results
Anticipated results suggest that faculty are unfamiliar with CT, strongly value the content of the current curriculum, and do not believe they have time to add CT to their courses. Most faculty are comfortable with computing and would be comfortable adding CT if they felt they had sufficient time. It is also anticipated that faculty feel pressure to respond to the priorities of local school districts, and that these districts are not indicating any desire for teachers prepared to cover CT.

Author

• Michelle Friend, University of Nebraska - Omaha