Scaffolding Research in Computer Science Education

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

The project is comprised of a set of integrated activities focused on specific acts of collaborative research called "experiment kits". An experiment kit is designed by an expert in CS Education research and details the design of a piece of research, from methodology to analysis, and situates it in its theoretical context (readings, case studies and further references). It will be presented at a one-week workshop in June, 2003. Participants will leave the workshop fully versed in their "experiment kit": a clearly defined research problem, empirical study designs and methodological confidence. Data gathering will be carried out collaboratively during the 2003-2004 academic year in the participants' classrooms, maintaining contact over the intervening period for problem solving and support, forming an electronic research network. Participants will also attend a meeting at SIGCSE 04, for discussion of specific practical issues that the participants may have encountered in their institutional contexts, to expose them to the wider SIGCSE community, and to meet with those who participated in the related project Bootstrapping Research in CS Education (DUE-0122560). This meeting will provide opportunities for longitudinal transfer between the Scaffolding and Bootstrapping cohorts, and extend the circle of discussants and discourse to a group engaged in similar although not identical research work. During the summer of 2004, there will be a capstone workshop in which participants share results, analyze data, make plans for reporting and disseminating those results in professional journals, and in collaborating on follow-up research. Following the second summer workshop, there will be a final meeting of all Scaffolding and Bootstrapping participants at SIGCSE 05 for reflection on lessons learned, collaboration on ongoing and new research projects, and integration into the larger CS Ed community.