Research has shown that e-learning games do not have the same level of appeal to girls, as they do to boys; particularly in the crucial 11-14 age group. In the United Kingdom, this is typically when they start to make subject choices that impact their future studies and careers. Given the shortage of females who choose computer science as a…

Group projects are expected in contemporary engineering curricula, and yet they often pose a challenge to students and instructors alike. Could making projects personally relevant help? The present study created and tested a conceptual framework regarding the impact of personal relevance on groupwork in a project-based learning (PBL) course. We…

This doctoral dissertation documents the experiences of women (student and faculty) in computer science programs. The research emerges from the literature on the gender gap in computing and video gaming. Thus, the author seeks to find the meaning that participants have granted to their experiences as undergraduate students and faculty, in a…

This study focuses on students' self-assessment during their learning process related to computer programming concepts, taking into account challenges and obstacles both teachers and students face, with the aim to contribute to the development of guiding principles and practices and enhance the teaching process of computer programming in primary…

Background and Context: Cultural and social influences from peers, family, and media shape young people's views on technology careers. This study examines Danish students' perceptions and discourses of IT professionals and technology occupations. Objective: Unlike earlier studies focusing on science or STEM as a monolith, this study specifically…

Background and context: Coding and computational thinking are often taught through integrated curricula, despite a paucity of classroom-based research on their effectiveness. Objective: To investigate evidence of learning resulting from cross-curricular coding tasks in middle-school classrooms, and the school environment factors that impact upon…

In November 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, a groundbreaking generative AI chatbot backed by large language models (LLMs). Since then, these models have seen various applications in education, from Socratic tutoring and writing assistance to teacher training and essay scoring. Despite their widespread use among high school and college students in…

Purpose: This study investigates the impact of AI-assisted pair programming on undergraduate students' intrinsic motivation, programming anxiety, and performance, relative to both human-human pair programming and individual programming approaches. Methods: A quasi-experimental design was conducted over two academic years (2023-2024) with 234…

Research has frequently demonstrated negative effects of placing students into developmental education, but very little inquiry has considered the impact of placing students into different levels of non-developmental coursework. The present study explored this issue within sequenced pairs of STEM gateway courses using doubly-robust propensity…

This study explored the learning experiences of first-year information technology students at the beginning of their studies. Identifying the early experiences is important, as we know they can predict later challenges and persistence in studies. We focus on a novel understanding of relations between learning approaches, self-efficacy and burnout…

Technology is an increasingly omnipresent and rapidly changing component of today's world. As a result, there is an urgency to develop talent in the field of computer science (CS). The purpose of this article is to examine ways that educational systems can develop students' talents to fill the need for skilled CS professionals. We provide an…

Based in a research-practice partnership around district-wide computational thinking (CT) Pathways, this paper explores how six districts utilized the CT Engagement Inventory to examine if and how students are engaged in computing learning opportunities and write inclusive CT pathway goals. We found the CT Engagement Inventory supported districts…

With the continuous development of embodied cognition theory and virtual reality (VR) technology, its application in teaching has been paid more and more attention by researchers. However, there are still few practical studies on the combination of VR technology and embodied learning. Starting from literature research, the paper analyzes the…

Background and context: We address the question of what computer science students take the discipline to be. How students conceive the discipline can influence whether a student pursues computer science, what particular area within computer science they focus on and whether they persist in the discipline. In this paper, we examine the epistemic…

Background and Context: Integrating computer science (CS) and math in classrooms is an increasingly recognized way for schools to address national CS mandates. There is a need to understand how professional development (PD) can support teachers to integrate. Objective: We examined math teachers' interest, and confidence, in math, CS, and student…