How are Primary School Computer Science Curricular Reforms Contributing to Equity? Impact on Student Learning, Perception of the Discipline, and Gender Gaps

TL;DR

Implementing primary school CS curricula and teacher training can promote equity by closing gender and achievement gaps, positively influencing student perceptions, and emphasizing early, inclusive, and developmentally suitable CS education.

Contribution

This study provides empirical evidence on how early CS curriculum reforms and teacher professional development impact learning, perceptions, and gender equity among primary school students.

Findings

CS instruction helps close achievement and gender gaps.

Teacher perception of PD positively influences student learning.

Gender differences in perception and access to CS persist, affecting equity.

Abstract

Early exposure to Computer Science (CS) for all is critical to broaden participation and promote equity in the field. But how does introducting CS into primary school curricula impact learning, perception, and gaps between groups of students? We investigate a CS-curricular reform and teacher Professional Development (PD) program from an equity standpoint by applying hierarchical regression and structural equation modelling on student learning and perception data from three studies with respectively 1384, 2433 & 1644 grade 3-6 students (ages 7-11) and their 83, 142 & 95 teachers. Regarding learning, exposure to CS instruction appears to contribute to closing the performance gap between low-achieving and high-achieving students, as well as pre-existing gender gaps. Despite a lack of direct influence of what was taught on student learning, there is no impact of teachers' demographics or motivation on student learning, with teachers' perception of the CS-PD positively influencing learning. Regarding perception, students perceive CS and its teaching tools (robotics, tablets) positively, and even more so when they perceive a role model close to them as doing CS. Nonetheless gender differences exist all around with boys perceiving CS more positively than girls despite access to CS education. However, access to CS-education affects boys and girls differently: larger gender gaps are closing (namely those related to robotics), while smaller gaps are increasing (namely those related to CS and tablets). To conclude, our findings highlight how a CS curricular reform impacts learning, perception, and equity and supports the importance of i) early introductions to CS for all, ii) preparing teachers to teach CS all the while removing the influence of teacher demographics and motivation on student outcomes, and iii) having developmentally appropriate activities that signal to all groups of students.