Positioning Youth for Success in Science: Studying the Malleability and Impact of Computational Thinking for Science

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

As a result of the powerful innovation and application of computing in STEM disciplines, the STEM+C program addresses an urgent need for real-world, interdisciplinary, and computational preparation of students from the early grades through high school (preK-12). This project will advance research and development of new transdisciplinary approaches to computational STEM teaching and learning that will integrate the fields of computational thinking and science learning. The project will synthesize across frameworks and definitions of computational thinking to identify those aspects that best position youth for future science learning. The resulting construct, Computational Thinking for Science (CT-S) will be examined through the development of valid and reliable assessments, and the project team will investigate whether, for whom, and under what circumstances CT-S enables success in proximal science learning experiences. Findings will contribute to the field by describing the varied ways that students develop CT-S skill sets and the degree to which CT-S supports science learning and developing STEM career preferences. This will inform future curriculum and instructional development that integrates computational thinking and science learning in productive and supportive ways. This project is supported by the STEM + Computing Program that advances research and development of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches to the integration of computing within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teaching and learning for preK-12 students in both formal and informal settings. STEM+C supports research on how students learn to think computationally to solve interdisciplinary problems in the STEM fields. The examination of CT-S will be embedded in a new Next Generation Science Standards-aligned, technology rich middle school science curriculum aimed at supporting the development of computational thinking. The research plan includes articulation of the CT-S construct and associated hypothetical learning progression, and development of CT-S assessment instruments embedded in three different science topics. These instruments will be validated via cognitive interviews with students, qualitative analysis of the pilot responses, and cross validated with student logs of simulations used in the curriculum. The project will use these instruments to conduct a multi-cohort one year longitudinal study with 1300 middle school students, exploring the relationship of CT-S with learning and career awareness outcomes and identify variations between subgroups. Data gathered over this longitudinal study will be analyzed through two analytical models. The first correlational model will examine CT-S as a predictor of engagement during learning experiences and science content learning. The second explores variations within and across individuals using HLM models to examine how CT-S changes during the middle grade years. Outcomes of this work will be shared to inform professional, practioner, and policy communities. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.