Exploring and exemplifying pre-service teachers' computational thinking in the context of technology integration

Mouza, ChrystallaComputational Thinking (CT) has been recognized as a fundamental analytical thinking skill required for all students to navigate the digital world (CCSS, 2010a, 2010b; NGSS, 2010; Wing, 2006). Therefore, it is necessary to promote CT in K-12 settings in order to equip students with a CT-related skillset (ISTE, 2016). Implementation of CT in classrooms, however, relies on teachers’ knowledge and dispositions in relation to designing CT-infused lesson (Barr & Stephenson, 2011; Mouza, Yang, Pan, Ozden & Pollock, 2017b). ☐ This work addresses a strategic starting point to prepare future teachers with the knowledge and skills needed to infuse CT in K-8 curricula. One hundred and thirty-five pre-service teachers participated in an educational technology course offered through a four-year teacher education program in the United States. This course was redesigned to weave CT and educational technology into the instructional design. For the purpose of this work, I conducted a two-phase mixed-methods investigation to gather progressive and precise understandings of pre-service teachers’ CT implementation throughout their participation in the course. The Phase I study focused on exploring how pre-service teachers (N=135) developed CT related knowledge and practices with technology integration. The Phase II study explored and exemplified pre-service teachers’ CT trajectories throughout their participation in the redesigned educational technology course using a subset of participants (N=57). ☐ Findings of this work contribute to understanding teacher knowledge in relation to CT implementation in K-8 settings. They also help underline factors that influence teachers’ decisions related to infusing CT in classrooms.University of Delaware, School of EducationPh.D