Debugging is the most difficult part of programming for novices. Through comparative experiments, this paper compares the differences between novices and the experts in the debugging process from the perspective of the frequency of each debugging skill behavior and the connection of each behavior. The study find that there is a difference in the…

The impact of a novice programmer's first language on their subsequent achievement in further computing education has been the subject of much study in the field of computer science education. Our research is a retrospective study of more than 10,000 undergraduate students enrolled in CS1 (introduction to computer programming) from 118 US college…

In an era where computational thinking is regarded as a basic skill for the 21st century that needs to be taught across the K-12 curriculum, research shows that teacher education programs do not adequately prepare preservice teachers to promote computational thinking skills in classroom teaching. Accordingly, the present study contributes to the…

Aligned with the 2021 AERA conference theme, which asks us as citizen-scholars to use educational research to address complex social and educational problems, the objective of this study is to provide the first nationally-representative, empirical evidence on the relationships among literacy, literacy skill use, and these information-seeking…

The gender gap in computer science is worst amongst any of the STEM fields. At the secondary school level, only 18.6% of AP computer science test-takers in the United States were girls. In order to address the persistent gender gaps in computer science, it is important to understand K-12 students' views about computer science and programming. The…

This paper highlights the year-one (pilot) findings of a three-year project on emerging technologies where students engaged in computer modeling, 3D printing, flight simulation, and drones during summer camps and afterschool programs in rural and urban districts. The pilot was iterative as different interventions were field-tested in specific…

This research examined over 200 elementary students' pre and post-test changes in computational thinking from a 10-week coding program delivered as part of the regular school day. Participants benefited from early access to computer science (CS) lessons with increases in understanding and applying coding concepts. Interviews from participants…

The objective of the study was to examine the direct, indirect, and total effects of computer uses on math achievements, by paying particular attention to immigrant students. The study focused on two types of computer uses: computer use for programming and computer use for practice. By using the data from Program for International Student…

The paper examines how computational thinking can be taught to young children with the use of educational robotics using the kit LEGO WeDo. Computational thinking was measured in terms of four sub-skills, namely, sequencing, correspondence between actions and instructions, debugging, and flow of control. Students were assigned to an experimental…

We developed the Draw-A-Computer-Scientist-Test (DACST) to better understand elementary school students' conceptions of computer scientists and the nature of their work. By understanding how young children perceive computer scientists, we can broaden their ideas about the activities and images of computer scientists. We administered the DACST to…