Christos Chytas

Typical physical oceanography fieldwork involves boarding a research vessel and traveling to the open ocean for periods of up to several weeks. Such scientific research expeditions are expensive, time-consuming, logistically challenging, and therefore are not very accessible. We present design-based research about an alternative: a virtual fieldwork experience using the new VirtualShip Python package and accompanying lesson materials. Data are collected in two graduate courses using qualitative and quantitative methods, and include interviews, surveys, and grading rubrics to investigate students’ learning outcomes and learning experience. We find that the virtual fieldwork was highly engaging, and students report on enhanced self-efficacy and knowledge. We conclude that student involvement and learning were boosted by using the Virtual Ship Classroom as an authentic learning environment.

Nowadays, mathematics teachers in K–12 strive to promote their students‘ mathematical knowledge and computational thinking (CT) skills. There is an increasing need for effective CT-embedded mathematics learning material and a better understanding of students’ views toward them. In this work, we present the results of a research study, which included the design of a six-lesson learning activity aimed at fostering 16- to 17-year-old secondary students’ CT skills in calculus lessons using the dynamic mathematics software GeoGebra. Our goal was to investigate how students experienced the CT-embedded calculus lessons with GeoGebra and what challenges they faced during their interaction with the learning material and software. We collected and analyzed data from students’ code in GeoGebra, workbooks, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires. Our findings suggest that most students mastered using CT concepts in calculus activities to a satisfactory degree and could reason about their computational solutions using GeoGebra and the generated graphs. Students’ understanding of the mathematical content knowledge introduced was essential to complete the lesson series successfully and unnoticed gaps in prior knowledge emerged. Our study shows that students appreciate the CT-embedded calculus lessons and GeoGebra’s exploratory approach to mathematics problems when provided with appropriate support. We conclude that an integrated approach to mathematics education and CT is viable and can contribute not only to fostering CT but also to increasing interest in mathematics.

Problem. To investigate and identify promising practices in equitable K-12 and tertiary computer science (CS) education, the capacity for education researchers to conduct this research must be rapidly built globally. Simultaneously, concerns have arisen over the last few years about the quality of research that is being conducted and the lack of research that supports teaching all students computing. Research Question. Our research question for our study was: In what ways can existing research standards and practices inform methodologically sound, equity-enabling computing education research? Methodology. We conducted a concept analysis using existing research and various standards (e.g. European Educational Research Association, Australian Education Research Organisation, American Psychological Association). We then synthesised key features in the context of equity-focused K-12 computing education research. Findings. We present a set of guidelines for general research design that takes into account best practices across the standards that are infused with equity-enabling research practices. Implications. Our guidelines will directly impact future equitable computing education research by providing guidance on conducting high-quality research such that the findings can be aggregated and impact future policy with evidence-based results. Because we have crafted these guidelines to be broadly applicable across a variety of settings, we believe that they will be useful to researchers operating in a variety of contexts.

Computational thinking (CT) is gaining attention in education as a part of digital literacy and can be addressed in several disciplines, including mathematics. Through the lens of Brennan and Resnick’s framework, we investigated how computational concepts, practices, and perspectives can be addressed in upper-secondary statistics lessons using spreadsheets through design-based research. Three classes of, in total, 58 16- to 17-year-old 11th-grade students explored several authentic real-life data sets in three 2-h sessions using spreadsheets. We evaluated the intervention by analyzing students’ workbooks, spreadsheet files, interviews, and questionnaires. The findings indicate that (1) students successfully engaged in computational concepts through using formulas, parameters, and conditional statements, (2) fruitfully applied data practices, and (3) demonstrated awareness of the relevance of CT for their everyday and future lives. These results highlight the potential of the use of spreadsheets in secondary school for developing computational thinking skills. Implications for further integration of CT in the mathematics curriculum are discussed.

Throughout the world, Computer Science Education (CSE) has ex- panded exponentially over the past decade, focused on teaching primary and secondary students computing ideas and tools. To teach all these students computer science (CS), models for teacher preparation range from one and done professional learning work- shops to full certificate and licensure programs. This report provides a landscape of how CS teachers are prepared academically in var- ious countries and makes evidence-based recommendations for how teachers should be educated to develop knowledge and skill to teach computer science. It also discusses how to develop these knowledge systems while promoting instruction that is equitable and centers students in the classroom. We brought together a group of international computer science education scholars who have been engaged in teacher preparation. In addition to what knowl- edge teachers need to teach CS, we also focused on how the field is preparing teachers and the role of computer science in the design of technology tools to achieve goals while mitigating potential societal harms.