Trajectories of Developing Computational Thinking Competencies: Case Portraits of Korean Gifted Girls
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Trajectories of Developing Computational Thinking Competencies: Case Portraits of Korean Gifted Girls Hyo-Jeong So1
•
Dongsim Kim2 • Dahyeon Ryoo1
De La Salle University 2019
Abstract From a learning ecology perspective, this paper aims to better understand how girls become gifted in CT competencies and how CT competencies were manifested through the co-influence of multiple factors in the developmental trajectory. A life-narrative approach using interviews was taken to unpack the significant factors that facilitate or limit the development of CT competencies. Three portraits of Korean gifted girls in information science are presented to illustrate how they developed interest and fluency in CT. Data were analyzed by a framework of Gagne´’s DMGT (Differentiating Model of Giftedness and Talent) 2.0. Major themes identified across the case portraits are (a) the linkage between mathematical, science, and computational thinking; (b) parents and teachers as the main catalysts; (c) self-directedness; (d) limited learning resources and knowledge-building strategies; (e) formal gifted education program as a turning point; and (f) the weak linkage between CT competencies and the future self. Implications on the pedagogical approaches concerning the gender equity issue in CT are also discussed. Keywords Computational thinking Gender equity Gifted girls Talent development
& Hyo-Jeong So [email protected] 1
Department of Educational Technology, Ewha Womans University, 52, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Korea
2
Hanshin University, 137, Hanshindae-gil, Osan 18101, Korea
Introduction Recently, many countries have incorporated computer science education into the K-12 curriculum, indicating the increasing awareness of the nation’s accountability for the development of computer literacy. One of the driving forces underlying the integration of computer science courses and activities in the school curriculum is the belief that computer literacy is a core competency for everyone in the twenty-first century and helps to foster the development of Computational Thinking (CT). The current movement toward CT was prompted by the seminal article by Wing (2006), who defined CT as ‘‘solving problems, designing systems, and understanding human behavior by drawing on the concepts fundamental to computer science’’ (p. 33). Recently, recognizing the abundant opportunities of digital activities in an informal learning space, Kafai (2016) suggested that CT should be reframed as a broader and more comprehensive concept of Computational Participation (CP) that involves ‘‘solving problems, designing systems, and understanding human behavior in the context of computing. It allows for participation in digital activities’’ (p. 26). Despite the concept that CT has expanded with the needs of the changing computing environment and the accumulation of research findings in this area, there is still a lack of studies that examine CT with marginalized groups, which include learners with disabilities, those living i
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