This paper shares findings from a teacher designed physics and computing unit that engaged students in learning physics and computing concurrently thru inquiry. Using scientific inquiry skills and practices, students were tasked with assessing the validity of local rollercoaster g-force ratings as posted to the public. Students used computational…

Computational thinking (CT) is an essential skill required for every individual in the digital era to become creative problem solvers. The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationships between computational thinking skills, the Big Five personality factors, and learning motivation using structural equation modeling (SEM). The…

Communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity are regarded as core skills of the twenty-first century required to succeed in life and working frameworks. Meanwhile, new technologies have entered educational settings to facilitate children's development of competencies. During the last decade, several studies have been conducted…

Computing has become essential in modern-day problem-solving, making computational literacy necessary for practicing scientists and engineers. However, K-12 science education has not reflected this computational shift. Integrating computational thinking (CT) into core science courses is an avenue that can build computational literacies in all…

As more states in the USA require elementary schools to offer computer science (CS) education, teachers are expected to master the knowledge and skills to teach CS by integrating computational thinking (CT) into content areas. This study presented a research-practice partnership approach to support elementary teachers in a local school district…

This study examined the effects of an Arduino microrobot activity on college students' interest in robotics through three specific objectives: (1) determining how students' conceptual understanding regarding the basics of microcomputing and computer programming changes after engaging in an engineering robotics learning module, (2) assessing the…

Interpreting and creating computational systems models is an important goal of science education. One aspect of computational systems modeling that is supported by modeling, systems thinking, and computational thinking literature is "testing, evaluating, and debugging models." Through testing and debugging, students can identify aspects…

In recent years, the field of education has challenged researchers and practitioners to incorporate computing as an essential focus of K-12 STEM education. Integrating computing within K-12 STEM supports learners of all ages in codeveloping and using computational thinking in existing curricular contexts alongside practices essential for…

Videos created with the hands of teachers filmed have been perceived as useful educational resource for students of Physics in undergraduate courses. In previous works, we analyzed the students' perception about educational videos by asking them about their experiences. In this work, we analyze the same facts, but from a learning analytics…

Despite STEM education communities recognizing the importance of integrating computational thinking (CT) into high school curricula, computation still remains a separate area of study in K-12 contexts. In addition, much of the research on CT has focused on creating generally agreed-upon definitions and curricula, but few studies have empirically…

Computer science and computer science education are marked by gender and racial disparities. To increase the number and diversity of students engaging in computer science, young children need opportunities to develop interest and foundational understandings, including computational thinking (CT). Accordingly, elementary teachers need to understand…

Amid the maker movement, educators are proposing various making activities with programmable artifacts to prepare students for coping with the challenges in the twenty-first century. Today, the "4C" skills--critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration--are regarded as significant learning outcomes in Science,…

Computational thinking (CT) and modeling are authentic practices that scientists and engineers use frequently in their daily work. Advances in computing technologies have further emphasized the centrality of modeling in science by making computationally enabled model use and construction more accessible to scientists. As such, it is important for…

This paper describes the work done by sixth grade students to achieve and sustain productive and personally meaningful lines of inquiry with computational models. The capacity to frame interactions with tools as dialogic exchanges with co-participants is a productive practice for disciplinary engagement in science and for computational thinking…

Synergistic learning combining computational thinking (CT) and STEM has proven to be an effective method for advancing learning and understanding in a number of STEM domains and simultaneously helping students develop important CT concepts and practices. We adopt a design-based approach to develop, evaluate, and refine our Collaborative,…