Designing the Ideal Computer Science Program

Jerry Argyle

Westminster College
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Abstract

This study investigated the impact on students abilities to grow their critical thinking skills,

computational thinking skills, and interest in pursuing an education or career in computer science or a

related field based on the effectiveness of an beginning after-school program. The target students were a

group of 10 sixth through ninth graders who attended a school in Provo, Utah. To assess the effects of the

program, pre- and post- program surveys were given, along with shorter, daily surveys to gauge the

students interest in the daily activities. Although results were insignificant based on sample size, the

study revealed that the students had an increase in interest in computer science and related activities, as

well as an increase in problem solving abilities at the conclusion of the program.

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Introduction 4
Statement of the Problem 5
Definition of Key Terms 8
Limitations of the Study 8

Literature Review 9
Curriculum Design 10
Effective Teaching Practices 13
Computer Science Accessibility 13
Summary 14

Research Methodology 14

Research Questions 14
Setting 15
Population 15
Research Design 16
Intervention Protocol 17
Survey Instrument and Protocol 17
Summary 19

Results 20

Discussion 24
Research Question 25
RQ 1: Was there a marked increase in students computational thinking skills? 25
RQ 2: Did participation in the program cause an increased interest in computer science? 26
RQ 3: Did participation in the program increase motivation to seek out computer science related
courses and activities in the future? 28
RQ 4: Did students develop a basic foundation of skills? 29

Works Cited 31

Appendices 35
Appendix A: Complete Lesson Plans 35
Appendix B: Informed Consent Form 47
Appendix C: Recruitment Materials 54
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Introduction

As technology continues to become more and more widespread in our society, increasingly

younger generations are routinely surrounded with applications of classic computer science principles that

affect how they communicate with each other and the world on a daily basis. Although many young

students have the skills necessary to be confident users of these technologies few breach the lines beyond

this and become true creators of these common technologies. Often, although studies done on the

perceptions of parents and educators reflect that access to computer science learning opportunities are

important in middle school, students themselves often do not see the value, with the results of these

studies showing that these students are either entirely unaware of what a computer scientist does or that

they find the field unattractive and uncool. By allowing students earlier access to a foundational skill set

that is sure to be ubiquitous in our progressively tech-centered society we would allow students to have

access to future educational opportunities and to a wider job market that might have before seemed too

difficult or out of reach for someone with no prior experience. Further, for a field that depends on

creativity, a homogenous workforce fails to take advantage of those with diverse experiences and world

viewpoints that likely foster divergent and fresh thinking (Goode et al 2012).

Many outreach programs to get younger students interested in coding currently exist, as do

studies of both the effectiveness of current computer science curricula as well as the current perceptions

of computer science careers, stereotypes about people who engage in computer science and demographic

profiles of students who have learned computer science (Gallup 2015). There are numerous activities and

resources already available, which aim to make coding fun and interesting to the beginner. Often these

programs are based around activities from sites such as CS Unplugged, code.org, and Scratch, which

build activities based on basic programming principles that can then be expanded into larger applications,

and allow beginning coders to implement the ideas in programming languages.

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Statement of the Problem

Because of massive growth in the technology industry in the past decade, it is vital for schools to

have access to programs, allowing for easy classroom implementation and teacher training, especially for

students who would not otherwise be exposed to similar opportunities. For the scope of this research

project, the program was not able to be implemented during the daytime as part of the core curriculum,

but rather ran as an after-school program, which then, if effective, could then be ideally implemented at

other schools, or for longer amounts of time. Often, although many activities and resources are easily

available for computer science educators and students they are not succinct and easy for teachers to

administer with little background experience in computer science.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study was to conduct research on a group of middle school students to

determine if a predetermined curriculum is effective at accomplishing a number of select computer

science related learning goals. These goals cover a broad range of topics and aim to increase interest in

the technology profession through an increase in awareness about what a computer scientist does, as well

as increase motivation to continue to pursue and engage in computer science related activities later on in

the student's educational and professional careers. Additionally the program also aimed to increase

students ability to problem solve, as well as increase familiarity with key programming concepts that can

then be applied to more difficult concepts. At the conclusion of the study the students would ideally have

the ability to work on their own, or with less supervision in the future, applying the concepts they learned

over the course of the program.

Significance of the Study

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The validity and generalizability of this research project is limited by the small sample size, but

the research is significant on a personal level because of the impact the program had on the students that

consistently attended. As indicated in the results, progress was made in all of the research goals studied.

The survey questions taken on a daily basis regarding the effectiveness of the in-class as well as the

researcher notes included in the researcher journal also allowed for refinement of the curriculum as the

program went on, which is reflected in the complete lesson plans (Appendix A). This research could also

be compared to similar studies done on larger, more diverse population sizes, such as ECS, which was

implemented in California schools, as well as studies done on remedying perceptions of computer

scientists in middle schoolers, done by Stanford University. Requests have also been made from various

after-school program coordinators in the area asking for similar program implementations, so the study

materials could be passed onto other groups, and reran, which would increase the study significance.

Theoretical Perspective

Many factors currently hinder students abilities to access the resources available to them

regarding computer science education. Often, those trying to understand why more students are unaware

or unexcited about the field attempt to break these into a key factors that would hinder progress, some of

these include: lack of qualified teachers, lack of funds, gender and race.

Through research commissioned by Google, and carried out by Gallup, it is now known that

many students, parents, teachers and administrators understand the value inherent in early exposure to

computer science education. Many of these groups now believe that access to computer science courses is

just as important to access to core education classes such as science, math, and english. This belief is

especially prevalent in parents without a college education as well as minority parents, which is an

interesting statistic concerning future success. Overall, principles cite a lack of qualified teachers and

funds as key barriers to offering computer science courses. Additionally, schools continue to report that
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they have too many other classes that support required testing for students, which may immobilize some

schools from adding CS offerings, especially in lower grade levels (Gallup 2016). It appears that in

order for changes to be made to core curriculum there must be higher level policy changes as well.

Groups such as minorities and women face also face significant social and structural barriers in

achieving access to computer science education. Female students are consistently less likely than male

students to say they have access to computer science learning either online or in person, as well as less

likely to say they are interested in a computer science education, even though female students tend to get

better grades overall, regardless of subject (apa.org). This is also a problem in schools where the majority

of students are minorities. Black students are less likely than White students to have classes dedicated to

CS at the school they attend (47% vs. 58%, respectively) (Gallup 2016).

Overall, although administrators and parents are beginning to see the value in offering courses in

computer science, demand from students is still low, with awareness and exposure from students still less

than ideal. Data show that many students still do not have opportunities to learn computer science in

their school. Despite continued accessibility challenges, opportunities for students to learn computer

programming or coding show an increase over last year (Gallup 2016). Although progress towards

accessibility is being made, many barriers still stand in the way towards many students successes.

Research Method

This research project consisted of starting and running an after-school program at the Walden

School of Liberal Arts, where computer science education is very minimal. The only similar programs at

this school is a robotics club, which consists of some instruction and hands on work with embedded

systems, but minimal programming. The school also offers a computer literacy class, in which the

students learn familiarity with programs such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. Some of the students in

the after-school program have taken both courses and thus, are a little more familiar than others with the
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concepts that are covered in the after-school program, although none of the students surveyed had any

concrete experience with programming. The program spanned students from grades 6-9, and was held

once per week, for two hours. Throughout the program the students were surveyed multiple times to

gauge their interest in the activities, and to see how they were progressing towards the research question

goals. Longer surveys were given once at the beginning of the after-school program and once at the

conclusion of the program, with a short survey given daily to study the effectiveness of the activities.

Those who declined to participate in the research or who did not obtain parental consent were still

allowed to participate in the after-school program and were not surveyed. Classroom and student

observations were also conducted on a daily basis in the classroom, as the students completed the

activities every day. Data from personal communications, along with these observations was documented

in a researchers journal.

Definition of Key Terms

Pedagogy: the art, science, or profession of teaching; especially education (Merriam-Webster 2017).

Inquiry-based learning: Inquiry based teaching and learning is characterized by a student-centered

approach that empowers students to help define the initial conditions of problems, utilize their prior

knowledge, work collaboratively, make claims using their own words, and develop multiple

representations of a particular solution (Goode et al 2012).

Scaffolding: Scaffolding in education refers to a variety of instructional techniques used to move students

progressively toward stronger understanding and, ultimately, greater independence in the learning process

(http://edglossary.org/scaffolding/).
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Limitations of the Study

Due to the scope of the research project and the age of the students the data was collected from

the sample size being studied was smaller than initially intended. Because of the nature of the study,

parental consent was required, which was difficult to obtain from some of the participants, as it was only

a once per week program. The school itself, being a liberal arts charter school with a small population size

proved difficult to attract a consistent student base. Also, given the short time frame of the project, a

limited range of topics were covered, and a limited amount of data on the curriculum was collected, given

a year-long course more thorough data could have been collected and better overall results could have

expected.

Summary

In summary, this research project consisted of compiling and implementing a 12-week

after-school program for beginning computer science students grades 6-9. Research was then conducted

on 10 middle school subjects who returned the appropriate consent forms to determine the effectiveness

of the program while engaging in an inquiry-based learning approach, with the teaching method closely

following the research done by the Exploring Computer Science program. Field observations as well as

student surveying was done throughout the course in order to measure the progress of the students across

a range of computer science topics. This dual-model teaching style and thoughtful curriculum design

worked in tandem to present the favorable results received from the completion of the final exit survey.
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Literature Review

Before beginning to teach the after-school group, preliminary research was done into studies that

attempted to accomplish similar overall goals. The background literature for this project can be separated

into three distinct categories: curriculum design, effective teaching practices, and computer science

accessibility in United States middle schools. Three major studies that served as a starting point for each

of these categories were Trends in the State of Computer Science in U.S. K-12 Schools conducted by

Gallup and Google in 2016, Exploring Computer Science, conducted by The National Science

Foundation, as well as A Model Curriculum for K-12 Computer Science from the ACM task force

Curriculum Committee. The findings published by these groups began to help formulate the survey

questions and curriculum design. Activities were also sourced from many different placed in order to

structure the daily activities that made up the after-school course, the details of these activities can be

found in the appendix under the individual lesson plans.

Review of Related Research

Curriculum Design

When beginning to design the curriculum for this research project, information was gathered from

many sources, one that proved to be particularly helpful was A Model Curriculum for K-12 Computer

Science, developed by the ACM K-12 Task Force Curriculum Committee. This report provides a sample

curriculum for many levels of students with grade-level breakdowns, topics and goals for each subject, as

well as sample activities for many concepts that were integral to the after-school program. The layout of

this report was especially helpful at the early research stage, as the consultation from experts was

necessary in order to formulate an initial structuring of topics. Another helpful resource was An
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Introduction to Educational Design Research, which provided helpful information regarding framing the

survey questions in order to determine the most effective survey results. I found this section especially

helpful:

Design research is cyclical and each iteration or cycle contributes to sharpening the aims and to
bringing the interventions closer to the desired design outcomes and research outputs. Design
research usually goes through several stages which Nieveen et al. (2006: 154) phrase as follows
(see also p. 15):
preliminary research: through context and problem analysis along with the
development of a conceptual framework based on literature review;
prototyping stage: setting out design guidelines, optimizing prototypes of the
intervention through cycles of design, formative evaluation, and revision it is important to note
that each cycle in the study is a piece of research in itself (i.e. having its research or evaluation
question to be addressed with a proper research design);
assessment stage (summative evaluation): often explores transferability and scaling,
along with (usually small-scale evaluation of) effectiveness; and
systematic reflection and documentation: this are continuous activities (as illustrated in
Figure 3) that takes place during all cycles in the research however, at the end the 26 an
introduction to educational design research researcher portrays the entire study to support
retrospective analysis, followed by specification of design principles and articulation of their links
to the conceptual framework
An Introduction to Ethical Research Design Plomp et al

The program design also focused on activities from established key sites such as CS Unplugged,

Scratch, and Lightbot. Through research has already been conducted on the effectiveness of all of these

resources on students learning of key programming principles when teachers implemented these tools into

their curriculum.

CS Unplugged activities, which were developed by researchers at the University of Christchurch

in New Zealand and adapted for classroom use by Robyn Adams and Jane McKenzie consist of activities

that are easy to present, require few materials, encourage collaborative work, and do not depend on

hardware, compilers, browsers, and internet connections (Cortina 2015). These activities are helpful for

students to learn programming principles in a group setting, encouraging them to collaborate with each

other without getting bogged down having to install software, or requiring access to a computer lab.

Although many activities are available through their site, the ones I ended up implementing the most
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frequently were the ones focusing on computational thinking skills, such as the parity exercise. This,

promotes the idea that problem-solving skills and computational techniques used in computer science

should be a part of every persons education are applicable to a wide variety of fields, not just computer

science (Cortina 2015). These activities also allows the students to look beyond simply quietly working

at a computer screen and get kids engaged in the activities physically, and most activities encourage

group work so kids work together to solve problems, much like computer scientists do when working on

large complex software and hardware systems (Cortina 2015). Successful curriculum studies like have

used CS Unplugged activities in their programs such as the Exploring Computer Science program which

has been used extensively in schools with significant minority populations like those in Los Angeles and

Chicago (Cortina 2015).

Another tool that ended up being widely used in the curriculum design process was Scratch.

Scratch is a programming language developed by researchers at MIT for students age 8-16. It is designed

to be highly interactive, easy to play around with, but still built of the same key programming concepts

that are used in higher level languages. The designers goal was to introduce programming to kids and

teens, and to make a language more tinkerable, more meaningful, and more social than other

programming environments (Resnick et al). Scratch ended up being useful in this study for practice with

concepts such as modularity, looping and cybersecurity, as well as for letting the students play around at

the end of class periods, and practice programming concepts they had been introduced to throughout the

course in general.

Codecademy was also used in the section near the conclusion of the program to allow students to

implement the skills they had learned using a concrete programming language, in this case Java and

HTML rather than simply games and activities.

Java was chosen because of its structure, and HTML was chosen because of the students

expressed interest in learning how to build a web page. This was also helpful for showing them resources
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they could then build upon on their own, and practice with on their own time, as it was especially

important to me to leave them with activities they could then access on their own after the course had

ended.

Conclusion of the curriculum design topics occurred before the start of the program,

approximately in January of 2017. The detailed lesson plans were then compiled approximately two

weeks in advance of the in-class test days.

Effective Teaching Practices

Exploring Computer Science was a three-year research study done in California schools which

examined why so few females, African Americans, and Latinos were studying computer science in urban

high schools (Goode et al 2012). The study aimed to increase first, the number of students enrolled in the

Advanced Placement Computer Science course, and then, increase the amount of students enrolled in a

foundational computer science course for all levels of high school students. This study, although linked to

a specific curriculum, focused on the efforts of educational learning theories, such as inquiry-based

design framework and a focus on effective teaching practices in order to yield successful results.

This study refers to inquiry based learning as being characterized by a student-centered approach

that empowers students to help define the initial conditions of problems, utilize their prior knowledge,

work collaboratively, make claims using their own words, and develop multiple representations of a

particular solution (Goode et al 2012). This type of implementation was important to me as through the

course of the study I realized that my initial methods were preventing the students from learning the

material, and that I needed to do more research into having a more collaborative, open class style.
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Computer Science Accessibility

Misperceptions in computer science both regarding what a computer scientist actually does, and

what a computer scientist looks like are key factors in preventing students from seeking out courses and

activities in computer science both during their formative educational careers, and later on in higher

education. Often those who would be interested either do not have access to the courses, or are

discouraged from taking part because of these harmful perceptions

Computer science is a field that has long been identified with a narrow band of white and Asian
males--- especially those who have had the resources to start their exploration with computing at
a young age. The learning environment of the more advanced computer science classrooms has
supported the culture of these students and often made others to feel as outsiders, as if their
concerns, perspectives, were not valued in the field. Having assignments, projects, and dialogues
that values the concerns, identities, and viewpoints of a diverse student body is important to
building real equity in a classroom (Goode et al 2012)

I read numerous studies on this and the way many researchers began to remedy these

misperceptions were to show students examples of both a diverse range of computer scientist and a wide

range of ways that computing could be used in careers. When students have a correct perception of what

computer science can actually consist of they are much more likely to partake in classes, and make

informed educational choices (Hewner 2016).

Summary

In conclusion, through review of similar studies done by experts on curriculum design, effective

equity based teaching practices, and computer science accessibility in middle school classrooms in the

United States, I was able to use data and methods that were fine tuned in previous studies in order to

develop more thoughtful and testable research goals and obtain more favorable study results.
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Research Methodology

Research Questions

The goals of the research project are for students to demonstrate:

1. Increased computational thinking skills

2. An increased interest in the technology profession

3. An increased motivation to seek out computer science related courses and activities in the

future

4. A basic foundation of skills that could be built upon independently, including:

a. Looping

b. Algorithms

c. Control statements

d. Modularity

e. Basic HTML

f. Basic Java computing

Setting

The subjects of this case study were a group of students grades 6-9. Many students have working

parents, and thus attend a different program every day, as they are not allowed to roam the halls or stay in

the school without a designated chaperone until their parents or guardians have arrived to pick them up.

Some students also stay for the after-school programs in order to learn more, or boost their college

resumes with extracurriculars. The makeup of the students who attend the after-school programs most

frequently fall into the younger grades of middle school, frequently 6th graders, as opposed to 8th and 9th

graders, as often the older students are able to return to their homes without waiting for a parent.
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Population

The intended population is middle schoolers attending The Walden School of Liberal Arts, which

is located in Provo, Utah. The Walden School of Liberal Arts is composed of students that are 85.1%

White, 8.7% Hispanic, 1.1% Asian, and 5.1% Mixed race/other. Comparing this to the surrounding area

of Provo, Utah, which is composed of 66.9% White, 24.9% Hispanic, 2% Asian, 2.2% Pacific Islander,

and 4% Mixed race/other. The school has 52% males and 48% females, which is close to equal to the

surrounding city average of 51.9% males and 48.1% females. The income level for the Walden School is

lower than the averages for the state of Utah and the surrounding city of Provo. More students qualify for

reduced lunch here, with 43.2% of students participating in the National School Lunch Program,

compared to Provo, Utah at 40.3% and the state of Utah at 36.9% (http://public-schools.startclass.com/).

Ethical Considerations

There were minimal to no physical and psychological risks to individuals that participated in this

research study. All participants and their guardians were made aware of all risks and have returned signed

consents forms as well as have had in-person explanations of the observations that will be happening

while the course is conducted. I also employed efforts at maintaining data security and confidentiality to

further minimize any risks to participants regarding their personal information. All data gathered in this

research study was kept secure through several means. The data collected through my researcher journal

was stored online in a password protected document. The consent forms, and any other written data was

be taken home and stored in a locked file cabinet. All data will be confidential, other than subjects initials

on the pre-program survey and the post-program survey. No other identifying information will be

collected or stored. This research study was approved by the IRB review board on January 10th, 2017.
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Research Design

To replicate the research on a daily basis a researcher would have to ensure that the students had

filled out the appropriate consent forms, and then would complete the daily survey upon the end of each

class period. The researcher would then mark the survey with the corresponding students initials in order

to track the students progress throughout the program. As the students completed the activities the

researcher could take general notes in the researcher journal about how the activity was going and any

concerns or comments the students had many verbally, and the general mode of the classroom that day.

Upon completion of the after-school program the researcher would analyze the data looking for themes

within interviews, comparisons and relationships between sets of institutional data, patterns and themes

within student observations, and themes from the researchers journal. The researcher could also compare

the data from the students initial surveys, daily surveys, and ending surveys through the corresponding

initials in order to view the overall progress made.

Intervention Protocol

The research in question was chosen as part of a senior capstone project for graduation with

computer science degree. The school was chosen because of personal ties to the researchers background,

and regarding of the lack of current computer science programs currently available at the school. Students

and their parents were made aware of the program through a school-wide assembly announcing upcoming

after-school programs, conducted by the after-school program coordinator, as well as a school-wide

email. A promotional flyer was created and distributed by the researcher in order to increase interest in

participation (Appendix C).

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Survey Instrument and Protocol

Students participating in the program were surveyed once at the beginning of the program, once

daily, and once at the completion of the program. The survey questions were developed through careful

consideration of the goals of the research project, while considering the age and time constraints of the

subjects that would be taking the surveys. The post-program survey questions were revised before the end

of the program as they were not effectively testing the research questions. The goal was to keep the

questions consistent, relevant, clear, and effective throughout the study in order to obtain the best possible

results upon the conclusion of research.

The survey questions are designed to be testable against the pre-defined research goals, as well as

mixed to return qualitative and quantitative responses. I expected to have results that are easily

measurable, and clear. The initial survey had a few questions (see questions number 4 and 5) intended to

give the researcher/teacher more information about the students who will be attending the study and was

less about the research goals, whereas the final survey had questions that go more in depth about the

specific programming topics that were learned over the course, in order to potentially revise curriculum

for future program use. The survey questions were designed to be easy and non-stressful for the subjects,

so may not be entirely accurate, but should give a general idea of the results.

This interaction with the subjects always took place in the final 15-20 minutes of the after-school

program, where the subjects had plenty of time to complete the survey accurately, as well as discuss any

feelings about the daily activity in-person with the researcher. No other activities were scheduled for this

time slot, so the appropriate level of quiet and privacy was allotted.

Beginning of Program Survey Questions:

1. What is your interest in computer science? (none, low, moderate, high)

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2. How do you categorize your experience using computers? (no experience, low, moderate, high)

3. What do you think a computer scientist does?

4. Why are you in this after school program?

5. How often do you think you will attend?

Daily Survey Questions:

1. The activity today was: (too hard, too easy, just right)

End of Program Survey Questions:

1. What is your interest in computer science? (none, low, moderate, high)

2. How do you categorize your experience using computers? (no experience, low, moderate, high)

3. What do you think a computer scientist does?

4. I think I will continue studying computer science either through school or on my own (y/n, how?)

5. I would be able to do these activities on my own (y/n)

6. I think I could design a solution to a problem effectively (y/n) What about before participating in

this course? (y/n)

7. I think I could test a solution to identify errors (y/n) What about before taking participating in this

course? (y/n)

8. I think my problem solving techniques have improved

9. I feel comfortable with these topics:

a. Looping (y/n)

b. Algorithms (y/n)

c. Control statements (y/n)

d. Modularity(y/n)
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e. Basic html (y/n)

f. Basic java (y/n)

10. What would I change about this after school program?

Summary

Overall, the research questions and research design are structured in order to provide concise and

accurate results pertinent to the study goals. The survey questions designed at the beginning of the

program were revised once in order to provide the most clear results section, and were approved by the

IRB review board. Although information about the sample demographic was not taken about the

individual participants in the study due to ethical considerations, this information is available for the

population, and can be estimated. This study could be replicated by other researchers given the same

curriculum and survey questions.

Results

Upon analysis of the survey responses of students who attended the after school program a

perceptible upward trend was shown in all of the research goals. Although 10 students took the

pre-program surveys and only 8 took the post-program surveys, responses were able to be compared

effectively. Although not included in the subject surveys, the notes taken by the researcher in the research

journal indicated some changes to the curriculum and the teaching methods were necessary for the overall

course in order to ensure future success.

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Discussion

Research Question

RQ 1: Was there a marked increase in students computational thinking skills?

Computational thinking skills are defined as the ability to formulate a problem and express a

solution so that a computer, whether that be the human brain, or a mechanical device can easily carry it

out (http://socialissues.cs.toronto.edu/). In essence, this is thinking like a computer scientist. In order to

formulate a solution often a computer scientist must break a problem down into the most fundamental

steps, allowing for algorithm design, as well as generalization, the representation and storage of both

basic and complex data, and being able to recognize patterns and trends in code

(https://computationalthinkingcourse.withgoogle.com/). When designing the research goals, this the most

fundamental, as programming syntax can easily be taught, as long as computational thinking skills are

kept in mind.

62.5% of subjects surveyed stated that they felt they could design a solution to a problem

effectively after completing the program, compared to 37.5% who answered that they thought they could

do so before completing the course. Although this is an obvious increase, which is the intended results, in

retrospect, the wording here may have been too difficult for the given subjects to entirely comprehend,

and upon further revision of the program this study question should be revised for better results.

Only 25% of students surveyed at the end of the program stated they think given their

computational thinking skills at the beginning of the program, they would have been able to test a solution

to identify errors. After the completion of the course students marked competency at this task as 100%,

which is a huge increase. All students stated that they believed their problem solving skills had improved,

whether or not they had attended frequently or not.

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Based on the notes from the researcher journal and in-class observations the subjects showed

significant improvement in their understanding of the concept of computational thinking. The subjects

were able to easily grasp the concept of designing a problem and following a set list of rules in order to

accomplish a given task. This was especially evident from the algorithm design class period where

students began to realize that there were often more steps necessary than they realized in order to

complete many tasks. They were also able to recognize that they could reuse some of the steps they had

designed before, which showed an increased awareness in pattern recognition and an increase in their

confidence and overall problem solving skills. Six students marked that they felt comfortable with

algorithms by the end of the course.

RQ 2: Did participation in the program cause an increased interest in computer science?

This research question was formulated because of the background research into perceptions of

computer scientists, and the confusion between CS activities and general computer literacy (Gallup

2016). By showing students several potentials paths of what a possible career, education, or just hobby in

computer science could look like it allows them to imagine a future where they continued using the skills

learned in the program, and ideally building on them on their own time. As Fewer than one in 20

students see someone they identify with doing computer science in the media. (Gallup 2016)

Subjects surveyed showed an increase in computer science before and after completing the

after-school program. Students who marked their interest as none, one student initially, was marked by no

students by the end of the program. Students who marked their interest as low, also went down from three

students initially to two students by the end of the program. Students who marked their interest as

moderate went from four students initially to three students by the end of the program. And students who

marked their interest as high went up by the end of the program, went from two students initially to three

students by the end of the program, so overall this field was considered a success.
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One survey question that returned more qualitative results was survey question #3, What do you

think a computer scientist does? Which was asked at the beginning and end of the program. The results

given by students at the beginning of the program were very vague, and many subjects did not give a

response at all, clearly many did not have an idea of what computer scientist truly did. Some of the

responses were:

Fix computers

Websites

Fixing stuff

Hacker

Dont know

The responses given by students at the end of the program after two class periods dedicated to showcasing

a wide of careers in computer science were much more informative and showed a better grasp on

students understanding. Although some of the responses were similar, overall the students seemed to

understand the field much better. Some of these ending survey responses were:

Fix computers

Make games

Make apps

Code

Hacker

Build computers

Teacher

The initial results pertaining to hardware or the building of computers is not surprising, and is a

common general perception regarding computer science, even among professors. By showing students

videos of a broad range of careers in computer science, and how those not who would not be typically
 29

referred to as computer scientists are able to incorporate computing into their careers, a more positive and

thorough view of the field was portrayed in the final survey responses. It appeared also that perceptions

had shifted some in the students.

RQ 3: Did participation in the program increase motivation to seek out computer science

related courses and activities in the future?

In order to have some indicator of the subjects desire to continue studying computer science long

term a research question was included that referenced future courses and activities. Because the students

were not required to attend the after-school group and had other options on any given day, many students

who attended the full program were often those likely wanting to build their skill set, which the result set

and the researcher journal indicates.

87.5% of students surveyed at the end of the program indicated they would like to continue

studying computer science either on their own or in school. When asked how they would accomplish this

some of the responses were:

Raspberry pi

Java

In school (4 times)

RQ 4: Did students develop a basic foundation of skills?

Over the 12-week program there needed to be a quantifiable level of skills learned in order to see

if the curriculum was effective enough for an after-school program. The topics were selected from study

of various computer science curriculum experts and designed to be a mix of fun, engaging topics for

young students, while giving them a basic overview of concepts they could then use as a jumping off

point for their own personal forays into programming independently or further on in future classes. This

list of topics was selected as the final research goal, with one topic usually dedicated to a single class

period, often with a more advanced application later on in a programming language. Students marked they
 30

felt comfortable with looping but not as comfortable with control statements, although they are similar

concepts, this might be because of wording. In a future run of this study the survey could be revised to

include examples of each concept or follow a more quiz like format to see if students really understood

the concepts. This question was also designed to see if any of the specific class periods needed to be

redesigned further, and the individual day surveys, and researcher notes and observations were also taken

into account here.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the overarching goal of this research was to provide a comprehensive after-school

program for middle-school students who would otherwise not have access to a beginning computer

science course. By allowing students who would would potentially feel intimidated or underrepresented in

a field that they routinely ignores students that do not have the resources to start their exploration with

computing at a young age (Goode et al 2012), we are able to begin to challenge the notions of who can

participate in computing, and begin to broaden our potential workforce, making it more diverse and

ultimately more effective. By adapting curriculum tools and activities already widely available as well as

employing inquiry-based teaching methods, concrete research goals were adapted and research

methodology began to be constructed. As a result, effective survey questions were constructed, which

provided, testable, quantifiable results, which, although statistically insignificant based on sample size,

could be comparable to other studies done with larger population diversity.

The students surveyed improved in nearly all the categories and improving computational

thinking skills, remedying perceptions of computer scientists, and built a foundation of basic computer

science skills that could be ideally built upon on their own time, or in further educational or personal
 31

practice. Through the development of a set curriculum and survey goals, this research proved to be

effective.

Recommendations and Implications for Theory, Research, and Practice

For further implementation and research data this program could be implemented with a larger

sample size and more diverse group in order to achieve more results to compare to. Some revision of

survey questions and overall curriculum revision would also be helpful, for example, I believe it would

also be helpful for guest lecturers to come in, along with the videos, in order to give students more

examples of what it would be like to further their educations or careers in computer science.

Overall, though, this research showed, that the consistent effort of an after-school program, and a simple

curriculum design was really all that it took in order to meet the research goals and see noticeable

improvement in students over a 12-week period.

 32

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Curriculum Committee. New York: ACM, 2004. Web.

 34

"CS Fundamentals Unplugged Lessons." Lessons | Code.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

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Computational Thinking. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

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(2016): 52-56. Web.

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ACM Annual Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education - ITiCSE

'12 (2012): n. pag. Web.

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(2016): 84-104. Web.

 35

"Exploring Computer Science: Active Learning for Broadening Participation in Computing."CRN.

N.p., 06 Jan. 2016. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

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(2015): 58-66. Web.

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45th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education - SIGCSE '14 (2014): n. pag.

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Natalie Rusk, Evelyn Eastmond, Karen Brennan, Amon Millner, Eric Rosenbaum, and Jay Silver.

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CS5 - 2013Version. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

Google CS First. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

"Meet the Professional | Computer Programming | Computing." Khan Academy. Khan Academy, n.d.

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American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association, n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.
 36

"Clubs Program - Girls Who Code." Girlswhocode. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.

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2017.

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"Challenge: Write a Poem | Intro to HTML." Khan Academy. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017.
 37

Appendices

Appendix A: Complete Lesson Plans

Cybersecurity

Objectives:

1. Students should be able to explain terminology such as coding, password protection, and network

security.

2. Students should understand the basics of encryption, and why it works to protect privacy.

3. Students should should be able to explain the term hacker and what kind of roles hackers play

in the real world.

Overview:

1. 3:00-3:10: Warm up, recap previous week discussions, get computers set up

2. 3:10- 3:20: Introduce topic, discuss what we know already about cybersecurity and what hackers

are, watch video on The Secret Lives of Hackers

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/labs/video_popup/5/33/

3. 3:20-3:35: Explain todays game to students. Will be using Cybersecurity Lab from

ww.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/labs/about-cyber-lab. Instruct students to complete Level 1 challenges.

 38

4. 3:35-3:50: Discuss what strategies they used in order to complete the Level 1 challenges. Go over

important terms such as coding, password protection, and network security.

5. 3:50- 4:00: Break

6. 4:00- 4:35: Open play with the remainder of the game challenges, move around the classroom and

help those who need it, encouraging group collaboration in order to solve some of the more

complex problems.

7. 4:35-5:00: Discussion on final results and problems completing challenges, complete survey

questions.

Resources Used:

1. K12cs.org: States cybersecurity as an important topic students should have covered by the end of

grade 8. Discusses the overall objectives that should be covered when discussing the topic.

https://k12cs.org/framework-statements-by-grade-band/#jump-6-8

2. Nova Cybersecurity Lab: Includes a game, educator guide, as well as instructive videos on

cybersecurity. These videos will be helpful to watch if students finish early.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/labs/lab/cyber/

Algorithms

Objectives:

1. Students should be able to define the term algorithm.

2. Students should be able to break each problem into simple steps and recognize why certain tasks

may be harder or easier for a computer to execute.

 39

3. Determine if a given algorithm can solve a given problem.

4. Follow all steps of algorithm design from recognizing the problem, designing the steps needed to

solve it, and testing to see if the solution designed is successful in solving the given problem.

Overview:

1. 3:00- 3:10: Warm up, recap previous week discussions, get computers set up

2. 3:10- 3:15: Define algorithm, explain activity, break students into two groups.

3. 3:15- 4:00: Have students give the steps for:

Baking cookies

Folding the laundry

Arranging a list of words alphabetically

Drawing a picture

4. 4:00- 4:10: Break

5. 4:10- 4:45: Come back and discuss what steps were difficult to break down, what steps were

easy? How do we think this translates to the computer? Is it easier for it to do certain tasks?

Discuss how the different groups handled the tasks differently.

6. 4:45-5:00: Discussion on final results and problems completing challenges, complete survey

questions.

Resources Used:

1. Computer Science Teachers Association: Gives a complete model curriculum for a K-12

Computer Science Education. https://www.acm.org/education/curric_vols/k12final1022.pdf

 40

2. Harvey Mudd College: A summer workshop given at Harvey Mudd college for middle school

computer science educators. https://www.cs.hmc.edu/twiki/bin/view/CS5/DayByDayMyCS

Lightbot 1

Objectives:

1. Introduce students to concepts of control statements and loops.

2. Have students be able to plan out a series of instructions, using control statements and looping,

writing a program, and debugging it if necessary.

Overview:

1. 3:00- 3:10: Warm up, recap previous week discussions, get computers set up

2. 3:10-3:30: Discuss control statements on board, give examples

3. 3:30-4:00: Have students complete basics and procedures sections on lightbot hour of code

activity

4. 4:00-4:10: Break

5. 4:10-4:30: Discuss looping on board, give examples

6. 4:30-4:45: Have students complete looping sections on lightbot hour of code activity-- to be

continued next week

7. 4:45-5:00: Discussion on final results and problems completing challenges, complete survey

questions

Resources Used:

1. Lightbot: https://lightbot.com/Lightbot_BasicProgramming.pdf
 41

Lightbot 2

Objectives:

1. Continue building on students understanding of control statements and looping concepts to be

developed in a later traditional programming language implementation.

2. Students should begin to understand the concept of modularity.

Overview:

1. 3:00- 3:10: Warm up, recap previous week discussions, get computers set up

2. 3:10-3:45: Finish up looping on lightbot

3. 3:45-4:00: Review last weeks concepts, discuss individual class members progress and address

any questions the students may have, make sure everyone is ready to move forward

4. 4:00-4:10: Break

5. 4:10-4:45: Introduce modularity on board, give examples

6. 4:45-5:00: Discussion on final results and problems completing challenges, complete survey

questions

Resources Used:

1. Lightbot: https://lightbot.com/Lightbot_BasicProgramming.pdf

2. K12CS: https://k12cs.org/framework-statements-by-concept/#jump-algorithms-programming

Scratch 1
 42

Objectives:

1. Students should be able to begin to put together concepts that have been introduced such as

algorithms, control statements, looping and modularity in order to create a program of their

choosing.

2. Students should be introduced to the idea of variables and their purpose.

Overview:

1. 3:00 - 3:10: Warm up, recap previous week discussions, get computers set up

2. 3:10- 3:20: Define the term variable on the board, explain what it is used for

3. 3:20-3:30: Demo a simple Scratch program using variables, control statements, looping, and

simple use of modularity

4. 3:30-4:00: Allow students to play around with Scratch while walking around and helping and

observing

5. 4:00-4:10: Break

6. 4:10-4:45: Have students complete the Scratch Hide and Seek game

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/editor/?tip_bar=hide if they finish this, have them explore the

other activities and tutorials given on the scratch project site.

7. 4:45-5:00: Discussion on final results and problems completing challenges, complete survey

questions

Resources Used:

1. Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu/
 43

Computational Thinking/Error checking

Objectives:

1. Teach students about error checking and data transmission

2. Get students to work collaboratively and in a team atmosphere

Overview:

1. 3:00 - 3:10: Warm up, recap previous week discussions, get computers set up

2. 3:10: 4:00: Split into two groups, have students complete the first part of CS unplugged error

checking activity

3. 4:00-4:15: Break

4. 4:15-4:45: Talk about how ISBN numbers use similar techniques/other real world applications,

have them do the math on this checksum

5. 4:45-5:00: Discussion on final results and problems completing challenges, complete survey

questions

Overview:

Resources Used:

1. http://csunplugged.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/unplugged-04-error_detection.pdf

Java Development 1

Objectives:

1. Students should be able to define types

2. Students should be able to use println

3. Introduce students to variables

4. Students should be able to make comments in Java

 44

Overview:

1. 3:00 - 3:10: Warm up, recap previous week discussions, get computers set up

2. 3:10- 3:30: Define primitive types and println on board, show examples

3. 3:30-3:40: Introduce students to variables, show examples

4. 3:40-4:00: Start working on Code Academy Learn Java Allow students to take their own time

and walk around room and answer questions, if necessary and students are getting stuck on same

sections go over topics again

5. 4:00-4:15: Break

6. 4:15-4:25: Show students on board how to make a comment in Java, and briefly explain the

purpose of commenting code

7. 4:25-4:45: Continue letting students work through Code Academy activity, walk around room

helping where necessary

8. 4:45-5:00: Discussion on final results and problems completing challenges, complete survey

questions

Resources Used:

1. Code Academy: https://www.codecademy.com/courses/learn-java/lessons/introduction-to-java

Java Development 2

Objectives:

1. Further students experience with Java programming

2. Define division operator (/) and modulo (%) operator

 45

3. Define relational operators

Overview:

1. 3:00 - 3:10: Warm up, recap previous week discussions, get computers set up

2. 3:10-3:25: Define division, modulo, and relational operators on board, show examples used in

code

3. 3:25-4:00: Allow students to work through Code Academy activity, stopping when students get to

quiz questions to go through them altogether on the board, making sure all students understand

4. 4:00-4:15: Break

5. 4:15-4:45: Continue working through Code Academy activities, stopping when students get to

quiz questions to go through them altogether on the board, making sure all students understand

6. 4:45-5:00: Discussion on final results and problems completing challenges, complete survey

questions

Resources Used:

1. https://www.codecademy.com/en/courses/learn-java/

HTML Development

Objectives:

1. Familiarize students with basic HTML syntax and its use

2. Students should be able to define terms such as angle brackets, HTML elements, opening tags,

and closing tags.

Overview:
 46

1. 3:00 - 3:10: Warm up, recap previous week discussions, get computers set up

2. 3:10 - 3:30: Discuss what HTML is used for, show examples using HTML canvas

http://andrew.wang-hoyer.com/experiments/cloth/

http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

3. 3:30 - 4:00: Have students work through Code Academy Part 1:Structure on the Learn HTML and

CSS tutorial

4. 4:00 -4:15: Break

5. 4:15 -4:45: Go through Khan academy HTML challenge as a class

https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming/html-css/intro-to-html/p/challe

nge-write-a-poem

6. 4:45-5:00: Discussion on final results and problems completing challenges, complete survey

questions

Resources Used:

1. Code Academy: https://www.codecademy.com/courses/learn-html-css/

2. Khan Academy:

https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming/html-css/intro-to-html/p/html-

basics

3. HTML examples:

http://andrew.wang-hoyer.com/experiments/cloth/

http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

Applying Computer Science 1

 47

Objectives:

1. Students should be able to identify different careers in computing and how they identify with

some of the topics we discussed over the last few weeks.

Overview:

1. 3:00- 3:10: Warm up, recap previous week discussions, get computers set up

2. 3:10-3:30: Open discussion about what they think a career or education in computer science could

lead to, or would look like, what kinds of jobs they think it leads to, what types of things they

could do with it, is it something they would be interested in, etc

3. 3:30-4:00: watch videos from Khan Academy Meet the Professional series

https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming/meet-the-computing-professio

nal/v/welcome-meet-the-computing-professional

4. 4:00-4:10: Break

5. 4:10-4:30: Have each student research a career related to computer science that they will present

to the group, come up with a few facts about it that they can research, like education needed,

average salary, description etc.

6. 4:30-4:45: Have each student briefly describe the career and why it was interesting to them

7. 4:45-5:00: Discussion on final results and problems completing challenges, complete survey

questions

Applying Computer Science 2

Objectives:

1. Further students experience with computing field and careers

2. Students should be able to identify where computing principles in everyday objects

 48

Overview:

1. 3:00- 3:10: Warm up, recap previous week discussions, get computers set up

2. 3:10-3:15: Talk about how students think they could use computers outside of traditional

programing environments

3. 3:15-3:25 Watch:

https://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/untangling-the-hairy-physics-of-rapunzel-4/

https://www.ted.com/talks/sebastian_thrun_google_s_driverless_car

4. 3:25-3:45: Discuss videos, talk about what videos from this class and last class period they liked

the best

5. 3:45-4:00: Break

6. 4:00-4:30: Pull up image from ECS supplemental curriculum and have the students break into

groups to identify what elements in the image were affected by computing, or where computing

principles could be used, eg laptop, telephone, car, and how they could be used

7. 4:30-4:45: Come back together as a class and discuss these results

8. 4:45-5:00: Discussion on final results and problems completing challenges, complete survey

questions

Sources:

1. Grover, Shuchi, Roy Pea, and Stephen Cooper. "Remedying Misperceptions of Computer Science

among Middle School Students." Proceedings of the 45th ACM Technical Symposium on

Computer Science Education - SIGCSE '14 (2014): n. pag. Web.

2. Lichtman, Flora. "Untangling the Hairy Physics of Rapunzel." Science Friday. N.p., n.d. Web. 29

Apr. 2017.
 49

3. Thrun, Sebastian. "Google's Driverless Car." Sebastian Thrun: Google's Driverless Car | TED

Talk | TED.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2017.

 50

Appendix B: Informed Consent Form

Westminster College

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

For the Protection of Human Subjects

Form D

Parent/Guardian Permission Form

Research Involving Minors (under age 18)

Before agreeing to participate in this study, it is important that the following explanation of the proposed

procedures be read and understood. It describes the purpose, procedures, benefits and risks of the study.

It also describes alternative procedures available and the right to withdraw from the study at any time. It

is important to understand that no guarantee or assurance can be made as to the results. It is also

understood that refusal to participate in this study will not result in negative consequences for you or your

child.

Your child is being asked to participate in a research study, the purpose of which is developing an ideal

course plan for supplemental computer science instruction.

The study procedure(s) have been identified as: surveys throughout the after-school computer science

program that allow the instructor to gauge the interest and effectiveness of varying computer science

topics and activities. Those who decline to participate in the research may still participate in the

after-school program and will not be surveyed.

 51

The duration of the study is expected to be January-April 2017. You will be notified of any significant

variance from the stated duration of the study.

Possible benefits that your child might realize from participation in this study have been identified as

learning about computer science and programming.

Projects for which there are no or minimal foreseeable risks:

There are no foreseeable side effects/ risks associated with this project, other than the possibility of

normal stress a person may feel while programming. However, some side effects/risks may be

unforeseeable.

Your child's participation in this study is entirely voluntary, and he/she may withdraw from the study any

time he/she wishes.

The contact person, should your child wish to withdraw from the study or should you or your child have

questions about the study, is:

Principal Investigators name Phone:

Jerry Argyle 801-368-2754

 52

If you have any questions regarding your childs rights as a research participant, please contact:

Chair of IRB Phone:

Sheryl Steadman 801-832-2470

All personally identifiable study data will be kept confidential. However, the results of this study may be

made available to you upon request or used in formal publications or presentations.

If the risks and benefits associated with this study have been explained to your satisfaction, as well as

your childs rights as a research participant, and you wish to allow your child to participate, please sign

and date this form where indicated. You will be provided a copy of this form for your records.

Signature of Parent/Guardian Date

 53

Signature of Witness Date

Signature of Primary Investigator Date

 54

Westminster College

Institutional Review Board (IRB)

For the Protection of Human Subjects

Form E

Assent Form for Minors

(Attach statement of what is said to subjects about the research, including signature lines for the witness

and investigator)

You have been asked to participate in a research study called: Designing the Ideal Computer Science

Education Program

The study has been explained to you by: ___________________________________.

You dont have to participate if you dont want to, and you can quit at any time. All of your information

will be kept private.

If you want to participate, please sign your name below and write the date next to your name.
 55

Signature of Participant Date

Signature of Witness Date

Signature of Investigator Date

 56

Appendix C: Recruitment Materials