UC Irvine

Computer science (CS) knowledge is becoming ever more central to successful participation in today’s society. Not only is fundamental computational literacy necessary to take advantage of growing employment opportunities demanded by the information economy, but computer literacy is becoming increasingly integrated into most professional roles. All aspects of modern life, from how we communicate to how we navigate, increasingly revolve around computational devices. Increasing accessibility to CS programs is a critical component for bringing underrepresented groups into the information-technology revolution. This is especially important for the large and growing population of students designated as English learners (ELs) – which grew from 8.1% in 2000 to 9.6% in 2016, and is projected to reach 25% of the student population by 2025. Compared with other groups, there is an alarming underrepresentation of ELs in CS education. In fact, high schools with 12% or more students designated as English learners offer half as many CS courses as other schools.Without engaging this population in CS, ELs are at risk for being left behind in the new information economy.

My research project is one of the first initiatives in the nation to develop and test a CS curriculum that helps predominantly Latinx, low-income, English Learners succeed in computing. This curriculum employs what we know about language, culturally relevant pedagogy, and instructional design to help ELs and other diverse students leverage their own and their community resources for greater success and entry into the field of computing.

My first dissertation study examines how and why multilingual students identify with CS through their participation in the curriculum. I administered a pre- and post-CS identity survey to students (n= 108) in seven classrooms. To better understand trends in students’ responses, I conducted semi-structured interviews of four students in each of the classrooms (n=28). Findings indicated that tailored instruction provides opportunities for connections to out-of-school learning environments with friends and family that may shift students’ perceptions of their own abilities to pursue computer science and persist when encountering challenges.

My second study examines how teachers integrate language and literacy into CS curricula to improve language and content skills for multilingual students. I performed qualitative analysis on field notes involving top-down and bottom-up coding that starts with categories from prior research on teaching STEM to ELs and refines that coding based on emergentthemes from this study. Results from detailed field notes revealed that the strategic application of instructional practices was implemented in the service of building on students’ existing literacy skills to teach CS concepts and practices.

The third study entails an exploratory cross-case study of five teachers’ classrooms. Videotaped lessons and classroom observations identified the modes of instruction and interaction in each classroom. Analysis of pre- and post-CS identity surveys and computer science assessments measured how students performed in each of the classrooms. Findings indicated that more structured approaches to inquiry-based instruction appeared to support the development of computational thinking skills and CS identities for multilingual students.

This dissertation represents one of the first major research efforts aimed at systematically investigating and identifying promising practices for teaching Latinx, low-income, English learners in CS. It contributes to our knowledge about culturally responsive CS instruction, the intersection between CS education and language and literacy development, and effective approaches for teaching CS in diverse elementary schools. The aim of this research is to initiate a new line of inquiry concerning quality CS instruction for multilingual students in the US.