An Exploratory Study to Identify Barriers to Implementation of Computational Thinking

Computational thinking, or learning to address problems in a systematic manner such that the problem could be solved using a computer, is a skill that can be applied not just to computer science, but to other areas of study. Given the ubiquitous nature of computing as a critical component of innovat...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author Stokke, Thomas Lloyd
Format Dissertation
LanguageEnglish
Published ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2019
Subjects
Algorithms
Computer Science Education
Educational Change
Educational Innovation
Educational technology
Higher education
Physical Education
Science Curriculum
Science Education
Science Teachers
Teaching Methods
Thinking Skills
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Computational thinking, or learning to address problems in a systematic manner such that the problem could be solved using a computer, is a skill that can be applied not just to computer science, but to other areas of study. Given the ubiquitous nature of computing as a critical component of innovation in many fields, learning to use a computer as a problem-solving tool could be viewed as a required skill for today’s students. There have been many initiatives promoting the introduction of computational thinking into a classroom, such as the “Hour of Code” (Wilson, 2015), yet the inclusion of such content into curricula at the time of this study was limited. Part of the problem is likely to be that learning to use a computer as a problem-solving device is something that is rarely taught to educators, whether as pre-service teachers or in professional development classes for teachers already working in the field. Nonetheless, it is likely that there are other deterrents as well. The purpose of this study was to use a cross-sectional survey employing both closed ended (quantitative) and open-ended (qualitative) questions to collect data from K-5 teachers regarding perceived barriers to implementation of computational thinking content into their curricula.
ISBN:1088355374
9781088355374