Computer Science in the School Curriculum: Issues and Challenges

ACM Transactions on Computing Education, 2015

Aiming to collect various concepts, approaches, and strategies for improving computer science education in K-12 schools, we edited this second special issue of the ACM TOCE journal. Our intention was to collect a set of case studies from different countries that would describe all relevant aspects of specific implementations of Computer Science Education in K-12 schools. By this, we want to deliver well-founded arguments and rich material to the critical discussion about the state and the goals of K-12 computer science education, and also provide visions for the future of this research area. In this editorial, we explain our intention and report some details about the genesis of these special issues. Following, we give a short summary of the Darmstadt Model, which was suggested to serve as a structuring principle of the case studies. The next part of the editorial presents a short description of the five extended case studies from India, Korea, NRW/Germany, Finland, and USA that are selected to be included in this second issue. In order to give some perspectives for the future, we propose a set of open research questions of the field, partly derived from the Darmstadt Model, partly stimulated by a look on large-scale investigations like PISA.

International Journal of Computer Science Education in Schools, 2021

The purpose of this study was to identify international trends in K–12 computer science curricula in countries that have introduced computer science education. Content analysis method was used to analyze the country-wide curricula of 10 countries which have introduced computer science education at the primary level. The K–12 Computer Science Framework was used as a theoretical frame to analyze the curricula. The results show that most countries begin their curricula with subconcepts of algorithms, program development, and under impact of computing, along with the practice of creating computational artifacts; then, countries expand upon computer science concepts and practices as learners progressed through the higher grades. Further, countries tend to introduce computer science concepts and practices in stages; once concepts and practices are introduced, they continue across multiple grades. Three approaches to implementing computer science education into the country-wide curriculum ...

Proceedings of the 19th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research, 2019

This paper presents an international study of K-12 Computer Science implementation across Australia, England, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Scotland and the United States. We present findings from a pilot study, comparing CS curriculum requirements (intended curriculum) captured through country reports, with what surveyed teachers (n=244) identify as enacting in their classroom (the enacted curriculum). We address the extent that teachers are implementing the intended curriculum as enacted curriculum, exploring specifically country differences in terms of programming languages and CS topics implemented. Our findings highlight the similarities and differences of intended and enacted CS curriculum within and across countries and the value of such comparisons.

Communications of the ACM, 1985

Computer science in secondary schools is an area of increasing interest and concern to educators as well as to computer science professionals. Each of the next two reports addresses an issue of major importance regarding computer science in secondary schools. The first report recommends computer science courses for the secondary school curriculum, and the second report recommends requirements for teacher certification in computer science. In 1983 the ACM Education Board initiated efforts to formulate recommendations for secondary school computer science. Two task forces, one for curriculum recommendations and the other for teacher certification recommendations, were established under the Education Board's Elementary and Secondary Schools Subcommittee. The work of the two task forces was also supported by the IEEE Computer Society Educational Activities Board, and the final reports from the task forces were jointly approved by the ACM and IEEE-CS boards in July 1984. Thus the rep...

Computer Science Education, 2016

The increased push for teaching computer science (CS) in schools in the United States requires training a large number of new K-12 teachers. The current efforts to increase the number of CS teachers have predominantly focused on training teachers from other content areas. In order to support these beginning CS teachers, we need to better understand their experiences and challenges encountered in the classroom. This study investigated U.S. CS teachers' perspectives on the demands of teaching computer science and support needed to ensure quality teaching. Results suggested that teachers face a number of challenges, including isolation, lack of adequate computer science background, and limited professional development resources. 1. Introduction: computer science education Recently, there has been an increased push for computer science education across the globe, including the United States of America (CS for All), the United Kingdom (Computing at School), Australia (Digital Technologies), and Mexico (Escherle, Ramirez-ramirez, Basawapatna, Maiello, & Nolazco-florez, 2016). These efforts to introduce computer science ideas in the curriculum across the primary and secondary education highlight the need to prepare today's students to a world heavily influenced by computing (CSTA & ISTE, 2011; Selby, 2015; Yadav, Hong, & Stephenson, 2016) and to move students from being consumers of technology to creators and producers (Buckingham, 2015). The Royal Society (2012) report on the state of computing curriculum in the U.K. highlighted a dwindling enthusiasm for computing given the shortage of teachers with sufficient subject matter knowledge, lessons taught by non-specialist teachers as well as negative perceptions of computing. The report recommended a restart of computing education in the U.K., including overhauling ICT in schools, and increasing the number of computing teachers and their professional development. Based on those recommendations, the national curriculum in England led the effort to guide computing education in primary and secondary schools. Similarly, in the United States a number of organizations, such as Code.org and College Board have been leading efforts to expand

Informatics in Schools: Improvement of Informatics Knowledge and Perception, 2016

Our multi-year national research study examines knowledge and perceptions of computer science (CS), disparities in access, and barriers to offering CS in the United States. The first year of the study surveyed 1,673 students, 1,685 parents, 1,013 teachers, 9,693 principals, and 1,865 superintendents, and the second year surveyed 1,672 students, 1,677 parents, 1,008 teachers, 9,244 principals, and 2,227 superintendents. We found that while large majorities of respondents from all groups continue to hold positive perceptions of computer science work as fun, exciting, and socially impactful, perceptions of who can do CS remained narrow. Despite support from large majorities in all groups for having CS in schools, few teachers or administrators strongly agree that CS is a top priority in their school or district, and principals report mixed support for CS from key stakeholders. Few principals and superintendents describe demand for CS from students and parents as high, while few parents and teachers report having specifically expressed support for CS education to school officials. Our paper also uncovers overall opportunities to learn CS inand out-of-school. We see an increase in the percent of schools teaching computer programming/coding. Even if opportunities exist, students and parents may not know about them; just over half of students and teachers and 43 % of parents are aware of CS learning opportunities in the community, with slightly higher percentages of students and parents aware of online opportunities. Barriers to offering CS in schools remain largely unchanged from year one of the study, with principals continuing to cite a lack of teachers with the necessary skills and a prioritization of courses related to testing requirements as reasons why CS is not offered in their schools. To overcome such barriers, we discuss a potential opportunity for teachers to incorporate CS into existing school subjects.

SIGCSE bulletin, 1998

This discussion began as an invitation to comment on the advisability of replacing some of the study of data structure implementation in CS2. It broadened into a discussion of a number of other aspects of computer science education. Dennis Frailey writes from an industrial point of view, although he also teaches computer science on an adjunct basis and was once a full-time academic. Dan McCracken writes from an academic point of view, although he has also worked in industry.

Proceedings of the 2019 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education, 2019

There has been a growing interest and increase in work shared about national K-12 Computer Science Education (CSED) curriculum and implementation efforts around the world. Much of this work focuses on curriculum analysis, country reports, experience reports and case studies. The K-12 CSED community would benefit from an international strategic effort to compare, contrast and monitor K-12 CSED over time, across multiple countries and regions, to understand pedagogy, practice, resources and experiences from the perspective of teachers working in classrooms. Furthermore, there is a need for validated and robust instruments that can support comparable investigations into the current state of K-12 CSED in schools around the world. Through a collaborative effort, this Working Group will develop a validated teacher survey instrument and collect data about CSED implementation

Every young generation needs to be able to control modern computers. Therefore, one of the first and most important tasks of school computer science is to form a clear way of thinking in students. The form and method of teaching should be aimed at developing the thinking and creative abilities of young students. The challenge is to develop students' thinking and creativity on the one hand, and to give them an interesting and relevant knowledge of the modern computer world on the other. This article has sufficiently revealed the current problems of teaching computer science in schools, the prospects for their solution. Information was provided on the methods of interaction between the participants of the learning process in the teaching of computer science.

Education and Information Technologies, 2016

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