From Consumers to Creators: Teachers’ Professional Learning in Developing Educational Software through Vibe Coding

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 2:15 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Strengthening Teacher Capacity for Computer Science Integration

Abstract

While vibe coding presents promising opportunities for teachers to act as creators of educational software, research on how educators engage with this approach remains limited. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study explores teachers’ experiences in vibe coding with a generative AI-powered platform—Firebase Studio. With eleven teachers, we collected prompt logs, reflective journals, and conducted semi-structured interviews. Quantitative findings showed teachers primarily created software for classroom use, with quizzes being the most common type, using only a few prompts. Qualitative findings further identified three key themes that highlighted both challenges and opportunities in vibe coding. This research contributes to understanding how vibe coding with generative AI tools can support and shape teacher professional learning and agency in the evolving technological landscape.

Authors

• Hunhui Na, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Casey Keunhee Kim, University of Hawaii - Manoa