Nature of Computer Science

Abstract

For the last decade, there has been a continuous increase in the number of research attempts in K-12 computer science education, especially with the Obama administration's CSforAll initiative, the push from the Code.org, the release of Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) standards, and adoption of K-12 computer science standards by several states (e.g., Virginia, New York, and Nevada). The K-12 Computer Science Framework, along with the CSTA's computer science standards play a fundamental role in designing the pre-college computer science curriculum and teaching in computing labs. However, without emphasizing the characteristics of computer science, also known as the Nature of Computer Science (NOCS), it might be difficult to create a computationally literate society that will make informed decisions on computing-based issues. One can see with a critical eye that K-12 Computer Science Framework and CSTA standards include the NOCS aspects implicitly without using the term. Particularly, NOCS refers to the epistemological beliefs pertaining to computing. The focus on NOCS as a curricular component and instructional goal in pre-college computer science education may aid in creating computationally literate citizens in the United States and abroad; however, there is no consensus on the K-12 relevant NOCS aspects yet. Additionally, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, there is no valid and reliable instrument that can assess learners’ NOCS views. The goal of this work-in-progress manuscript is two-fold: (1) to examine the representations of the NOCS aspects in the national computer science reform documents including the K-12 Computer Science Framework and the CSTA computer science standards, and (2) to develop a valid and reliable open-ended NOCS instrument to assess learners’ NOCS views which is recommended to be used in conjunction with interviews. In other words, the K-12 Computer Science Framework and CSTA computer science standards will be analyzed for the inclusion and coverage of the NOCS aspects which will guide the prospective NOCS instrument development.