Why are some students “not into” computational thinking activities embedded within high school science units? Key takeaways from a microethnographic discourse analysis study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21392763 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Umit Aslan (0000-0003-0261-4455, Department of Learning Sciences Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA, corresponding author), Michael Horn (Department of Learning Sciences Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA), Uri Wilensky (0000-0001-9591-3109, Department of Learning Sciences Northwestern University Evanston Illinois USA) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 108 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 929-956 |
| Publication date | 2024-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Science Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0036-8326 • E-ISSN: 1098-237X |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/sce.21850 |
| OpenAlex | W4392004379 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 52 |
Science educators are integrating more and more computational thinking (CT) activities into their curricula. Proponents of CT offer two motivations: familiarizing students with a realistic depiction of the computational nature of modern scientific practices and encouraging more students from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. However, some studies show that increasing exposure to computing may not necessarily translate to the hypothesized gains in participation by female students and students of color. Therefore, paying close attention to students' engagement in computationally intense science activities is important to finding more impactful ways to promote equitable science education. In this paper, we present an in‐depth analysis of the interactions among a small, racially diverse group of high school students during a chemistry unit with tightly integrated CT activities. We find a salient interaction between the students' engagement with the CT activities and their social identification with publicly recognizable categories such as “enjoys coding” or “finds computing boring.” We show that CT activities in science education can lead to numerous rich interactions that could, if leveraged correctly, allow educators to facilitate more inclusive science classrooms. However, we also show that such opportunities would be missed unless teachers are attentive to them. We discuss the implications of our findings on future work to integrate CT across science curricula and teacher education
Coding (social sciences) · Computational Thinking · Curriculum · Depiction · Mathematics education · Next Generation Science Standards · Pedagogy · Salient · Science education · Social science · Sociology · Student engagement · Computer Science · Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods · Innovative Teaching Methods · Psychology · Teaching and Learning Programming
Ethics, Identity, and Political Vision
Defining Computational Thinking for Mathematics and Science Classrooms
Integrating computational thinking with K-12 science education using agent-based computation
Computing whether she belongs
(Un)Hidden Figures
Bringing computational thinking to K-12
Theories of learning as theories of society
Computational Thinking, Between Papert and Wing
Facilitating marginalized youths' identification with STEM through everyday science talk
“If We Don't Have Diversity, There's No Future to See”
Constructionist co‐design
Kids Code in a rural village in Norway
Changing Minds
Seeking Congruity Between Goals and Roles
How Brianna Became Bossy and Kofi Came Out Smart
A Revaluation of Computational Thinking in K–12 Education
The Interdependence of Social Identification and Learning
Becoming Technosocial Change Agents
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |