Computer Science (CS) Unplugged activities are designed to engage students with CS concepts. It is an active learning approach combining physical interaction with visual representation. This research article investigates the impact of CS Unplugged on students' understanding of the bubble sort algorithm. Algorithm visualization, traditionally…

As Machine Learning (ML) becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives, it is essential to teach ML to young people from an early age including also students from a low socioeconomic status (SES) background. Yet, despite emerging initiatives for ML instruction in K-12, there is limited information available on the learning of students from…

The current study compared American, Korean, and Indonesian middle and high school students' CS attitudes. Concurrently, this study also examined whether the items in the CS attitudes scale exhibit country and gender measurement biases. We gathered data on CS attitudes from middle and high school students in the US, Korea, and Indonesia. The…

We developed a near-peer mentoring model for high school youth to mentor middle school youth on how to program using MIT App Inventor. The purpose of this study was to investigate: (a) the effectiveness of the near-peer mentoring model for the mentees; and (b) how the mentees' vicarious experience with the near-peer mentors led to changes in their…

Background and Context: Both in- and out-of-school computer science (CS) learning opportunities are expanding, but their influences on CS career interests are unclear. Method: To investigate, we applied multinomial propensity score weighting analysis on a 2021 U.S. nationally representative sample of 4,116 5th-to-12th-grade students. Findings: The…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Education Research." Contents include: (1) Mexican American Studies -- A Deep…

This paper explores how minoritized Computer Science (CS) students articulate their sense of critical agency to positively impact the world around them, both for today and the future, when participating in a Girls Who Code program focused on ethics, equity, and underrepresentation in computing. Observations, interviews, and surveys were conducted…

Background & context: Inspired by the nature-cultures of belonging from Black hair care, we conducted a design experiment to bridge computer science (CS) education, urban gardening, and cosmetology in a culturally responsive computing (CRC) library program. Objective: The design was oriented around a small-scale aquaponics system to grow mint…

Virtual reality (VR) technology is playing a crucial role in the changing paradigm of education. In many cases, however, VR technology is not being taught because of the lack of relevant educational content at middle and high school levels. This study investigates the effect of design education using VR-based coding on students' competence and…

Using robot programming activities for learning in the classroom is one way to drive interest and engagement in the STEM field among students, especially girls. And this is afield that is particularly characterized by an underrepresentation of women. Accordingly, many countries are increasingly integrating activities related to computer science…

A central issue in the design of curricula for all school levels is the development of the learners' high-order thinking skills and metacognitive skills. Among such required skills is the ability to solve problems. The literature dealing with the development of problem-solving skills is vast and primarily addresses the scientific disciplines, even…

This study examined the effect of learning in a computerized environment that includes simulations on the students' achievements and motivation, and is based on models that show that learning through simulation has more potential to promote the comprehension of abstract principles and concepts than traditional learning does. The theoretical…

Objectives: At the K-12 level, "CS for All" initiatives across the country strive to increase equitable access to and participation in computer science (CS). However, there are many open questions about the implementation and effectiveness of these initiatives, including the extent to which exposing young people to CS early on can shape…

With the continuous development of education, personalized learning has attracted great attention. How to evaluate students' learning effects has become increasingly important. In information technology courses, the traditional academic evaluation focuses on the student's learning outcomes, such as "scores" or "right/wrong,"…

Block-based visual programming tools, such as Scratch, Alice, and MIT App Inventor, provide an intuitive and easy-to-use editing interface through which to promote programming learning for novice students of various ages. However, very little attention has been paid to investigating these tools' overall effects on students' academic achievement…