Exploring the Enacted Computing Curriculum in K-12 Schools in South Asia

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Abstract
Efforts to bring computer science to all, particularly in primary and secondary schools, have been unfolding at rapid rates in countries designated as high income economies. Little is known, however, about efforts in middle and even less in low income nations, since the majority of computing education research focuses on high income nations. In this study, we provide context for computing education research in high, middle, and low income countries. We then provide background on K-12 computing education across four countries within one geographic region, South Asia, in which limited research on computing education exists. To gauge what types of enacted curriculum are taught in the classrooms, we modified an existing instrument (MEasuring TeacheR Enacted Curriculum (METRECC)) to meet the culture and current educational climate of these countries. Before trialing the METRECC South Asia instrument, we modified it based on our cultural knowledge of the countries, then acquired feedback from two professionals in South Asia and modified the instrument again based on their input. We then trialed this instrument across two countries. Based on the results and the face validity performed on the instrument, we consider METRECC South Asia to be ready for larger scale usage with recommendations for a broader study. In addition, we consider the role and importance of computing education research in low income countries in order to support the beliefs and values of the CS for All movement.

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