Development and Illustration of a Framework for Computational Thinking Practices in Introductory Physics

Physics classes with computation integrated into the curriculum are a fitting setting for investigating computational thinking. In this paper, we present a framework for exploring this topic in introductory physics courses. The framework, which was developed by reviewing relevant literature and acqu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPhysical Review Physics Education Research Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 020106 - 20131
Main Authors Weller, Daniel P, Bott, Theodore E, Caballero, Marcos D, Irving, Paul W
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published College Park American Physical Society 01.07.2022
APS
Subjects
Computation
Computer Uses in Education
Data acquisition
Educational technology
High School Students
Introductory Courses
Physics
Science education
Science Instruction
Secondary School Science
Secondary school students
Thinking Skills
Video data
Michigan
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Summary:Physics classes with computation integrated into the curriculum are a fitting setting for investigating computational thinking. In this paper, we present a framework for exploring this topic in introductory physics courses. The framework, which was developed by reviewing relevant literature and acquiring video data from high school classrooms, comprises 14 practices that students could engage in when working with Glowscript VPython activities. For every practice, we provide in-class video data to exemplify the practice. In doing this work, we hope to provide ways for teachers to assess their students' development of computational thinking and give physics education researchers a foundation to study the topic in greater depth.
ISSN:2469-9896
2469-9896
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.020106