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Computer Science Pedagogical Content Knowledge: Characterizing Teacher Performance

Published: 21 May 2019 Publication History

Abstract

Computer science education efforts are expanding across the globe to equip students with the necessary computing skills for today’s digital world. However, preparing students to become literate in computing activities requires the training of tens of thousands of teachers in computer science. The discrepancy between student needs and teacher preparation in computer science has raised questions of quality teachers, particularly for teachers who do not possess adequate content or pedagogical knowledge to teach computer science efficiently. To address this issue, we designed an instrument to measure knowledge needed to teach computer science (i.e., computer science pedagogical content knowledge). Results exhibited that our instrument measured aspects of teachers’ computer science pedagogical content knowledge; however, teachers’ prior background in teaching did not influence their performance. We discuss implications for future research and practice.

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    cover image ACM Transactions on Computing Education
    ACM Transactions on Computing Education  Volume 19, Issue 3
    September 2019
    333 pages
    EISSN:1946-6226
    DOI:10.1145/3308443
    Issue’s Table of Contents
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    Publication History

    Published: 21 May 2019
    Accepted: 01 January 2019
    Revised: 01 November 2018
    Received: 01 February 2018
    Published in TOCE Volume 19, Issue 3

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