Understanding U.S. secondary computer science teachers’ challenges and needs

ABSTRACT

Background and Context

Based on issues arising around how to best prepare CS teachers and the constantly changing nature of the CS education content, curriculum, and instructional methods, it is crucial to examine the needs of secondary CS teachers.

Objective

The primary purpose of this study was to identify secondary computer science (CS) teachers’ needs and make recommendations for future CS education research and practices in the U.S.

Method

Using a mixed-method research design, the data were collected from Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA)’s email listserv member discussions (n = 1,706 from 482 unique members), questionnaire responses from 222 secondary CS teachers, and semi-structured interviews with eight CS teachers in the US.

Findings

Updating curriculum resources was an important ongoing need for secondary CS teachers. Curriculum resources, materials to assess students learning, and embedding the principles of computational thinking into curriculum were reported as major needs for secondary teachers. Teachers also reported that they need to learn more about student-centered teaching strategies (e.g. problem-based learning and pair programming) and guide students’ learning using scaffolding and team-management strategies. The findings suggest that teachers perceived the need for administrators’, parents’, and other CS teachers’ support. Having an online community for teachers was critical to address their curricular and pedagogical needs. Furthermore, increasing student enrollment and interest in CS was critical for the future of CS education.

Implications

The findings of this research have implications for creating professional development plans and support that can address secondary CS teachers’ needs in the US.

KEYWORDS:

• Computer science education
• secondary education
• teachers’ needs
• pedagogy
• student-centered
• curriculum

Acknowledgments

This study would not have been possible without the support of the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) and its members. The authors would like to thank CSTA for allowing us to use the email listserv to collect data, conduct the survey, and for members to participate voluntarily in the questionnaire and the interviews.

Disclosure statement

The study was carried out following academic rules and ethical conduct. Permission was received from Indiana University Institutional Review Board. Both in quantitative and qualitative processes, the participants’ consent was received. The authors reported no potential conflict of interest. No funding was received for this study. A small portion of this study’s data and findings were used by Sadik et al. (2020).