Computer Science Teacher Preparation Research Articles

Cognitive and Epistemic Spaces in the CSTA Computer Science Learning Standards

This paper presents the findings of close reading of the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Computer Science Learning Standards for grades K-12. This document is influential because it has been adopted by at least five of the United States and has served as an inspiration for several more. Analyses of the document structure as well as of verb usage, word frequencies, and word pair networks for the language of the standards themselves as well as the clarification text included in the document for each standard were conducted using tidytext tools built for the R programming language. These analyses revealed a high level of internal coherence in this learning standards document, as well as a wide epistemic space for the teaching and learning of core computer science concepts and practices by K-12 students and their teachers. Implications for student learning, curriculum design, and computer science teacher preparation were discussed.

The trajectory of computer science education policy in Ireland: A document analysis narrative

AbstractThe launch of a Computer Science curriculum specification in upper secondary schools in Ireland in 2018 was a landmark and a historic development in Irish education. Addressing the historical policy decisions adopted towards establishing the specification, this paper presents an analysis of developments from the 1970s as revealed in key policies and other documents. Positioning the policy change within the context of influences, context of policy text production and within the context of practices, the paper presents an overview of the Irish Computer Science specification. Alongside the background to the evolution in computer science education over the period, the article takes into account the national and cultural contexts and narrates the journey travelled to arrive at this pivotal position. Developments in a global context are presented in comparison with curricula in other countries and some similarities and differences identified. The article uncovers consequences of the specification for the national curriculum, key skills integration and computer science teacher preparation. The article provides an important analysis of the policy trajectory of computer science in Ireland based on a visibly relevant corpus of documents tracing the different stages of this policy and comparing it to similar experiences implemented in other European countries.

Looking at Secondary Teacher Preparation Through the Lens of Computer Science

Teaching computer science (CS) in high schools, rather than just programming or even computer literacy, is important as a means of introducing students to the true nature of CS, and enhancing their problem-solving skills. Since teachers are the key to the success of any high school educational initiative, any discussion of high school programs must consider the teachers, and specifically the teacher preparation needed to make the implementation of such programs possible. However, there is scant research on CS teacher education, probably because CS is a relatively young discipline. Very few of the publications in the area of CS teacher preparation are research-based. Most are descriptive papers, including recommendations for specific programs or courses. The purpose of this survey is to import from what is already known in other disciplines in this context. We therefore examine the body of research on teacher education in other disciplines, especially in mathematics and science, to shed light on important challenges for CS teacher education and draw some initial conclusions regarding CS teacher preparation programs.

Computer science teacher preparation is critical

In this paper, we report on the research and recommendations of the CSTA (Computer Science Teachers Association) Teacher Certification Task Force, addressing the crisis in computer science teacher preparation and certification. This paper will address the importance of computer science as a scientific discipline, and provide a brief discussion of the relevant research and current existing certification models Primarily, however, this paper focuses on the Task Force's recommended models for teacher preparation and certification in computer science.

How to establish a computer science teacher preparation program at your university?

This paper presents a workshop on the establishment of computer science teacher preparation programs. The workshop is designed for the potential initiators of such programs---computer scientists and computer science curriculum developers-who do have computer science teaching experience, either in academia or in the high school, but lack knowledge about the actual construction of such programs. We suggest that such a workshop may stimulate the establishment of additional computer science teacher preparation programs, meeting the need identified in 2007 by the CSTA.

Preparation of high school computer science teachers

This special session examines frameworks for the preparation of high school computer science (CS) teachers from the Israeli perspective. Specifically, several Israeli CS teacher preparation programs and their components are presented. The presentation includes both a general overview and a detailed description of the actual implementation of such programs. This bipolar presentation, we suggest, provides practical guidelines with respect to CS teacher preparation, both for policy makers and for faculty members who wish to establish a CS teacher preparation program at their universities.

The practicum in computer science education

This article focuses on the practicum, one of the more important parts of computer science teacher preparation. During this stage, the prospective teachers practice the teaching of computer science in a high school setting before becoming actual computer science teachers. The practicum is highlighted in this article from three angles: the prospective teacher's perspective, the MTCS course perspective and the university mentor's perspective. For each perspective we illustrate the importance of the practicum by explaining how it bridges a specific gap. These gaps are illustrated by two examples that focus on content and pedagogical aspects of computer science education.

The evolution of standards for accrediting computer science teacher preparation programs

In 1992, the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) adopted guidelines for computer science education teacher preparation programs. The endorsement signaled the emergence of computer science education as a distinct discipline and computer science as a formal secondary subject area. The guidelines were developed through an intense program of research and review by the International Society for Technology and Education (ISTE). Since the passage of the standards, numerous computer science and education professionals have been involved in the process of preparing program folios for review and developing the actual review process. This real experience with the standards helped to identify issues and problems that are common to most programs and that need examination in the current five year review. In this paper, an overview of the guidelines is presented, the review process is described, issues and problems are discussed, and future initiatives are identified.