<div> <p>In order to achieve broadening participation in computer science and other careers related to computing, middle school classrooms should provide students opportunities (tasks) to think like a computer scientist. Researchers in computing education promote the idea that programming skill should not be a pre-requisite for students to display computational thinking (CT). Thus, some tasks that aim to deliberately elicit students’ CT competency should be stand-alone tasks rather than coding fluency-oriented tasks. Guided by this approach, this assessment design process began by examining national standards in CT. A Q-matrix (i.e., item–attribute alignment table) was then developed and modified using (a) literature in CT, (b) input from subject-matter experts, and (c) cognitive interviews with a small sample of students. After multiple-choice item prototypes were written, pilot-tested, and revised, 15 of them were finally selected to be administered to 564 students in two middle schools in the Mid-western US. Through cognitive diagnostic modeling, the estimation results yielded mastery classifications or subscores that can be used diagnostically by teachers. The results help teachers facilitate students’ <i>mastery orientations</i>, that is, to address the gap between what students know and what students need to know in order to meet desired learning goals. By equipping teachers with a diagnostic classification based assessment, this research has the capacity to inform instruction which, in turn, will enrich students’ learning experience in CT. </p> </div> <br>

Esta tese descreve um estudo quase experimental que teve como objetivo: investigar a relação entre a construção do Pensamento Computacional e o desenvolvimento do raciocínio de estudantes dos últimos anos do Ensino Fundamental. A pesquisa foi realizada utilizando um curso de extensão em Desenvolvimento de Games, ofertado em 2 escolas particulares de Porto Alegre, tendo a participação de 50 alunos. A prática de ensino-aprendizagem proposta foi construída com base em pressupostos teóricos da aprendizagem significativa e aprendizagem experiencial. O Pensamento Computacional e o raciocínio dos alunos foram avaliados antes e após o término do curso, sendo utilizados para este fim o Teste de Pensamento Computacional e as provas que compõe a Bateria de Provas de Raciocínio – BPR-5. A análise estatística dos dados permitiu evidenciar um incremento do Pensamento Computacional, bem como do Raciocínio Verbal, Raciocínio Abstrato e Raciocínio Mecânico dos alunos que participaram do experimento. Comprovou-se também uma correlação positiva entre o Pensamento Computacional e os cinco tipos de raciocínio avaliados. Os resultados deste estudo demonstram como a construção do Pensamento Computacional contribuí no desenvolvimento cognitivo dos alunos e é apresentada uma proposta pedagógica que pode servir de referência para novos estudos na área. / This thesis describes a quasi-experimental study aimed to investigate a relationship between the construction of Computational Thinking and the development of students' reasoning in Middle School. A research was carried out during a course about Games Development, offered in two private schools in Porto Alegre, with 50 students. The proposed teaching-learning practice was built on the theoretical assumptions of meaningful learning and experiential learning. Both, Computational Thinking and reasoning, of the students were measured before and after the course, using a Computational Thinking Test and a set of reasoning evidence tests (BPR-5). The statistical analysis of the data showed an increase in Computational Thinking, as well as Verbal Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and Mechanical Reasoning of the students participating in the experiment. There was also a positive observation between Computational Thinking and the five types of reasoning. The results of this study demonstrate how the construction of Computational Thinking contributes to the cognitive development of students and presents a pedagogical proposal that can serve as a reference for new studies in the area.

Esta tese descreve um estudo quase experimental que teve como objetivo: investigar a relação entre a construção do Pensamento Computacional e o desenvolvimento do raciocínio de estudantes dos últimos anos do Ensino Fundamental. A pesquisa foi realizada utilizando um curso de extensão em Desenvolvimento de Games, ofertado em 2 escolas particulares de Porto Alegre, tendo a participação de 50 alunos. A prática de ensino-aprendizagem proposta foi construída com base em pressupostos teóricos da aprendizagem significativa e aprendizagem experiencial. O Pensamento Computacional e o raciocínio dos alunos foram avaliados antes e após o término do curso, sendo utilizados para este fim o Teste de Pensamento Computacional e as provas que compõe a Bateria de Provas de Raciocínio – BPR-5. A análise estatística dos dados permitiu evidenciar um incremento do Pensamento Computacional, bem como do Raciocínio Verbal, Raciocínio Abstrato e Raciocínio Mecânico dos alunos que participaram do experimento. Comprovou-se também uma correlação positiva entre o Pensamento Computacional e os cinco tipos de raciocínio avaliados. Os resultados deste estudo demonstram como a construção do Pensamento Computacional contribuí no desenvolvimento cognitivo dos alunos e é apresentada uma proposta pedagógica que pode servir de referência para novos estudos na área. / This thesis describes a quasi-experimental study aimed to investigate a relationship between the construction of Computational Thinking and the development of students' reasoning in Middle School. A research was carried out during a course about Games Development, offered in two private schools in Porto Alegre, with 50 students. The proposed teaching-learning practice was built on the theoretical assumptions of meaningful learning and experiential learning. Both, Computational Thinking and reasoning, of the students were measured before and after the course, using a Computational Thinking Test and a set of reasoning evidence tests (BPR-5). The statistical analysis of the data showed an increase in Computational Thinking, as well as Verbal Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and Mechanical Reasoning of the students participating in the experiment. There was also a positive observation between Computational Thinking and the five types of reasoning. The results of this study demonstrate how the construction of Computational Thinking contributes to the cognitive development of students and presents a pedagogical proposal that can serve as a reference for new studies in the area.

abstract: Computational thinking, the creative thought process behind algorithmic design and programming, is a crucial introductory skill for both computer scientists and the population in general. In this thesis I perform an investigation into introductory computer science education in the United States and find that computational thinking is not effectively taught at either the high school or the college level. To remedy this, I present a new educational system intended to teach computational thinking called Genost. Genost consists of a software tool and a curriculum based on teaching computational thinking through fundamental programming structures and algorithm design. Genost's software design is informed by a review of eight major computer science educational software systems. Genost's curriculum is informed by a review of major literature on computational thinking. In two educational tests of Genost utilizing both college and high school students, Genost was shown to significantly increase computational thinking ability with a large effect size. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Computer Science 2015

Esta tese descreve um estudo quase experimental que teve como objetivo: investigar a relação entre a construção do Pensamento Computacional e o desenvolvimento do raciocínio de estudantes dos últimos anos do Ensino Fundamental. A pesquisa foi realizada utilizando um curso de extensão em Desenvolvimento de Games, ofertado em 2 escolas particulares de Porto Alegre, tendo a participação de 50 alunos. A prática de ensino-aprendizagem proposta foi construída com base em pressupostos teóricos da aprendizagem significativa e aprendizagem experiencial. O Pensamento Computacional e o raciocínio dos alunos foram avaliados antes e após o término do curso, sendo utilizados para este fim o Teste de Pensamento Computacional e as provas que compõe a Bateria de Provas de Raciocínio – BPR-5. A análise estatística dos dados permitiu evidenciar um incremento do Pensamento Computacional, bem como do Raciocínio Verbal, Raciocínio Abstrato e Raciocínio Mecânico dos alunos que participaram do experimento. Comprovou-se também uma correlação positiva entre o Pensamento Computacional e os cinco tipos de raciocínio avaliados. Os resultados deste estudo demonstram como a construção do Pensamento Computacional contribuí no desenvolvimento cognitivo dos alunos e é apresentada uma proposta pedagógica que pode servir de referência para novos estudos na área. / This thesis describes a quasi-experimental study aimed to investigate a relationship between the construction of Computational Thinking and the development of students' reasoning in Middle School. A research was carried out during a course about Games Development, offered in two private schools in Porto Alegre, with 50 students. The proposed teaching-learning practice was built on the theoretical assumptions of meaningful learning and experiential learning. Both, Computational Thinking and reasoning, of the students were measured before and after the course, using a Computational Thinking Test and a set of reasoning evidence tests (BPR-5). The statistical analysis of the data showed an increase in Computational Thinking, as well as Verbal Reasoning, Abstract Reasoning and Mechanical Reasoning of the students participating in the experiment. There was also a positive observation between Computational Thinking and the five types of reasoning. The results of this study demonstrate how the construction of Computational Thinking contributes to the cognitive development of students and presents a pedagogical proposal that can serve as a reference for new studies in the area.

Have you ever wondered how to integrate the latest technology into the English Language Arts (ELA) Classroom? In this fun and interactive session, you will get to tinker with the newest technology such as the Dash Robot and the Blockley and Wonder Robotic apps. Presenters will demonstrate how to use computational thinking to increase student motivation as well as student analytical skills. Participants will leave the session with various resources and ideas about how to integrate robotics and computational thinking into their ELA class immediately!

Programmering har introducerats som ett nytt delmoment i den svenska läroplanen sedan2018. Denna fallstudie har därför fokuserat på elevers förståelse för programmering iintroducerande undervisning. Detta för att hjälpa lärare att få en bättre förståelse för hur de kanimplementera programmering i sin undervisning. Teorin datalogiskt tänkande har använts somgrund för analys av datamaterialet, för att identifiera elevers inkrementella och iterativa processsamt testa och felsöka processen. Teorin användes också för att identifiera elevers förståelse förprogrammeringsbegrepp. Insamlingen av datamaterialet utfördes med inspelningar av eleversskärmar och samtal, medan de introducerades till programmering i Scratch. Resultatet visadepå att elever hade svårigheter med vissa programmeringsbegrepp. En slutsats var även attprogrammeringsprocesserna var beroende av varandra för att utvecklas. / Programming is since 2018, a new subject in the Swedish curriculum. This case studytherefore focuses on students’ understanding of introductory programming, to help teachers geta better understanding of how to teach and assess the subject. The theory computationalthinking was used as a foundation for identifying the students’ incremental and iterative processas well as their testing and debugging process. It was also used for identifying the students’understanding of programming concepts. The data for this study was collected throughrecordings of students’ screens and conversations, while introducing them to programming inScratch. The results showed that students had some difficulties with some programmingconcepts. Furthermore, the results showed that the processes were dependant on each other’sdevelopment.

Over the last few years, the importance of computer science education for children has been promoted more and more vigorously. In addition, the demand for technology occupations has increased rapidly, and there are many job opportunities in computer science. However, there are not many women working in this field. One of the reasons is young women’s lack of interest in computer science. This study investigates how to attract young women to computer programming and support computational thinking through design and develop learning activities. This study’s approach includes several related researches, theories, and methodologies. Interviews, workshops, and observations were used to determine design requirements. The results demonstrate that tangible and meaningful artifacts are effective educational tools for computer programming. Based on the results, this research developed a prototype, “TomatoBox,” a do-it-yourself kit that creates toys while providing an enjoyableactivity to learn programming.

Computer scientists have been working towards a common definition of abstraction; however, the instruction and assessment of abstraction remain categorically underresearched. Because abstraction is often cited as a component of computational thinking, abstraction has been summarily likened to a higher order thinking skill. A broad conceptual framework including philosophy, psychology, constructionism, and computational thinking was aligned with the descriptive qualitative design and guided the literature review and data analysis. This qualitative examination of how teachers determine curriculum, deliver instruction, and design assessments in K-12 computer science education provides insight into best practices and variables for future quantitative study. The instructional strategies, objectives, and assessments of twelve K-12 computer science teachers from 3 states were examined in this descriptive qualitative examination of instruction using thematic coding analysis. The majority of teachers had little to no professional development regarding teaching abstraction. All teachers in the study were unsure what student abstraction abilities should be according to grade level. Teachers'€™ understanding of abstraction ranged from very little knowledge to very knowledgeable. The majority of teachers did not actively assess abstraction. Teachers described successfully teaching abstraction through multiple instructional practices and spiraling curriculum. Practical descriptive insights illuminate additional variables to research the instruction of abstraction qualitatively and quantitatively, as well as provide anecdotal instructional successes.

This study sought to understand the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of teacher educators regarding Computational Thinking (CT) and coding. All elementary teacher educators in the state of Utah were sent a survey and asked to participate in a follow up interview. Twentynine faculty replied. Five of the 29 survey respondents were interviewed. Teacher educators shared their definitions of CT and coding, which primarily dealt with problem solving and computer programming, respectively. Overall attitudes were positive about incorporating CT and coding, but many participants questioned how it would fit into the already overwhelming nature of the elementary education major. However, those who were tasked with teaching educational technologies integrated it with other content areas. In future work, efforts should be made to clarify the expectations for preservice teachers on the part of the state and elementary teacher educators will need to be understood more fully in their roles as models and guides in using CT and coding in the future classrooms of these preservice teachers.