The overall aim of this article is to stimulate discussion about the activities within CER, and to develop a more thoughtful and explicit perspective on the different types of research activity within CER, and their relationships with each other. While theories may be the most valuable outputs of research to those wishing to apply them, for…

Although the process of inquiry is guided by questions, the result is rarely a clear answer. Instead, deep investigation--despite producing data, results, and evidence--ultimately results in a lot more questions. The author, rather than feeling disillusioned by that reality, has come to accept it as the cyclical nature of research. For more than…

A rich body of empirically grounded results and a solid theory base have often been viewed as signs of a mature discipline. Many disciplines have frequently debated what they should accept as legitimate kinds of theories, the proper roles of theory, and appropriate reference disciplines. Computing education research (CER) in particular has seen a…

This article offers Ancestral Computing for Sustainability (ACS) to dismantle the logics of settler colonialism that affect accessibility, identities, and epistemologies of computer science education (CSE). ACS centers Indigenous epistemologies in researching CSE across four public universities in the United States. This paper describes Ancestral…

Although technology education evolved over time, and pressure increased to infuse more engineering principles and increase links to STEM (science technology, engineering, and mathematics) initiatives, there has never been an official alignment between technology and engineering education and computer science. There is movement at the federal level…

Drawing on an integrative review of the literature on the privatization of education and an empirical case study of technology corporations in education, this article examines the corporate within the political economy of education. It argues that by analytically conceiving of corporations under the banner of the private sphere and,…

International changes in policy and curricula (notably recent developments in England) have led to a focus on the role of computing education in the early years. As interest in the potential of computing education has increased, there has been a proliferation of programming tools designed for young children. While these changes are broadly to be…

Learning analytics offers insights into student behaviour and the potential to detect poor performers before they fail exams. If the activity is primarily online (for example computer programming), a wealth of low-level data can be made available that allows unprecedented accuracy in predicting which students will pass or fail. In this paper, we…

Scholars representing the field of computer/information science were asked to identify what they considered to be the most exciting and imaginative work currently being done in their field, as well as how that work might change our understanding. The scholars included Ken Birman, Jennifer Rexford, Tim Roughgarden, Margo Seltzer, Jim Spohrer, and…

The undergraduate computer science curriculum is generally focused on skills and tools; most students are not exposed to much research in the field, and do not learn how to navigate the research literature. We describe how fiction reviews (and specifically science fiction) are used as a gateway to research reviews. Students learn a little about…

What is Computing Education Research (CER), why are we doing this type of research, and what should the community achieve? As associate editors to this special edition we provide our perspectives and discuss how they have influenced the evolution of the Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research over the last nine years.…

This special issue features a set of papers recently published in the 3rd International Workshop on Computing Education Research (ICER'07). The papers were selected because they closely meet the publication criteria for ACM/JERIC: stemming from computing education practice, grounded in relevant literature, containing analysis of primary empirical…

Adaptive learning and teaching strategies are increasingly demanded in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the education process, but few intelligent education systems exist, which are dynamic and able to satisfy individual students' requirements. In an attempt to overcome these limitations, we have developed a multi-agent…

Computer science education research has mostly focused on cognitive approaches to learning. Cognitive approaches to understanding learning do not account for all the phenomena observed in teaching and learning. A number of apparently successful educational approaches, such as peer assessment, apprentice-based learning and action learning, have…

Lists eight spelling checkers for word processing (including program name, word processor and computer compatibility, current cost, and source). Also reviews research findings related to the teaching of spelling and offers reasons why spelling checkers may help in teaching children how to spell well. (JN)