The importance of computational thinking (CT) as a 21st-century skill for future generations has been a key consideration in the reforms of many national and regional educational systems. Much attention has been paid to integrating CT into the traditional subject classrooms. This paper describes a scoping review of learning tools for integrating…

Although abstraction is widely understood to be one of the primary components of computational thinking, the roots of abstraction may be traced back to different fields. Hence, the meaning of abstraction in the context of computational thinking is often confounded, as researchers interpret abstraction through diverse lenses. To disentangle these…

The authors discuss empirically determined competence areas to K-12 computer science education, emphasizing the cognitive level of competence. The results of a questionnaire with 120 professors of computer science serve as a database. By using multi-dimensional scaling and cluster analysis, four competence areas to computer science education…

This research examined preservice teacher graduates' positioning toward integrating technology in future teaching. Participants included 115 preservice teachers across three cohorts in 2008-2009 who graduated from a laptop-infused teacher education program. The study implemented a case study methodology that included a survey administered upon…

The point of Choi and Clark (2006) was that after many well-designed studies, they have no evidence for either the learning or the motivational benefits of pedagogical agents. In their study, they found compelling evidence that when agents are found to enhance learning, a less expensive and less distracting pedagogical method has equal or greater…

Introduces the Inventive Model, a constructivist approach to conceptual change, as a theoretical base for science instruction and for software development in science education. Highlights include the hesitancy of some school systems to implement computer-assisted science instruction, student misconceptions, and cognitive approaches to conceptual…

Choi and Clark (2006) argue that learning is attributed to the instructional method rather than the specific medium used to deliver instruction (i.e., the pedagogical agent). Additionally, they consider pedagogical agents as unnecessarily expensive tools, whose instructional affordances can be replicated by less expensive options. In this response…

Describes the design of a hypermedia tool for helping preservice teachers learn about the growth and development of children's mathematical reasoning based on research in cognitive science, and discusses results of an experiment that used single-subject methodology to compare preservice teachers' learning with the hypermedia tool versus learning…

Describes the ECOSET project, developed by the European Community to collect data on the current state of formative and summative evaluation activities regarding courseware used within the classroom in Europe. Evaluation instruments and evaluation techniques are described, and their cultural embeddedness and curricular dependencies are discussed.…

In this review of the research on how current computer learning environments can foster the acquisition of complex cognitive skills, two issues emerge: (1) what cognitive accomplishments are likely in the computer environment; and (2) what factors predispose students to benefit from the environment. (MBR)