Class
Article
College
Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services
Department
English Department
Faculty Mentor
Jody Clarke-Midura
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Abstract
In Utah, the technology industry is rapidly growing, and with it the demand for a STEM workforce. Similarly, there is a push to integrate Computational Thinking (CT) and Computer Science (CS), usually in the form of coding, into K-12 education. While Utah has adopted standards to inform CS instruction, the standards lack an evidence-based foundation. Further, K-12 schools lack instructional minutes and resources to teach CT and coding. In order to address these needs, this project aims to collect empirical data on how students engage with computational thinking throughout early childhood. Our goal is to inform the further development of effective CS standards and integrated mathematics instruction beginning in early childhood and working our way up. We are unpacking how children learn computational thinking, specifically, pinpointing developmental milestones for children’s computational thinking and mathematical skills associated with coding. Our primary research question is: How do computational thinking and mathematical skills and strategies differ across developmental age groups in early childhood? We developed performance-based assessment tasks that measure CT in order to understand how children at different developmental levels respond to the tasks. This study presents data from 30 students in two schools. Students were stratified by grade (kindergarten, first, and second) then randomly selected. We focus on three items that assess students’ spatial reasoning and computational thinking. We will present results detailing the developmental milestones and changes in strategies students utilized across grades (K-2). We will then discuss the implications for the design of future CS standards and instructional resources for teachers in early childhood (K-2). With the empirical data gathered from this study, we hope to identify developmental milestones for students in early childhood and hone current CS standards to meet students’ needs through integration points with mathematics.
Location
Logan, UT
Start Date
4-8-2022 12:00 AM
Milestones in Computational Thinking and Mathematics Competencies in Early Childhood
Logan, UT
In Utah, the technology industry is rapidly growing, and with it the demand for a STEM workforce. Similarly, there is a push to integrate Computational Thinking (CT) and Computer Science (CS), usually in the form of coding, into K-12 education. While Utah has adopted standards to inform CS instruction, the standards lack an evidence-based foundation. Further, K-12 schools lack instructional minutes and resources to teach CT and coding. In order to address these needs, this project aims to collect empirical data on how students engage with computational thinking throughout early childhood. Our goal is to inform the further development of effective CS standards and integrated mathematics instruction beginning in early childhood and working our way up. We are unpacking how children learn computational thinking, specifically, pinpointing developmental milestones for children’s computational thinking and mathematical skills associated with coding. Our primary research question is: How do computational thinking and mathematical skills and strategies differ across developmental age groups in early childhood? We developed performance-based assessment tasks that measure CT in order to understand how children at different developmental levels respond to the tasks. This study presents data from 30 students in two schools. Students were stratified by grade (kindergarten, first, and second) then randomly selected. We focus on three items that assess students’ spatial reasoning and computational thinking. We will present results detailing the developmental milestones and changes in strategies students utilized across grades (K-2). We will then discuss the implications for the design of future CS standards and instructional resources for teachers in early childhood (K-2). With the empirical data gathered from this study, we hope to identify developmental milestones for students in early childhood and hone current CS standards to meet students’ needs through integration points with mathematics.