THE EFFECTS OF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS ON K-12 COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION By Aaron Reed, Ed.D. A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Auburn University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Auburn, Alabama May 4, 2019 Keywords: Computer science, K-12 education, K-12 teachers, ECS, curriculum, website design Copyright 2019 by Aaron Reed, Ed.D. Approved by Dr. Jakita O. Thomas, Chair, Associate Professor, Computer Science and Software Engineering Dr. Xiao Qin, Professor and Director, Computer Science and Software Engineering Dr. Cheryl D. Seals, Associate Professor, Computer Science and Software Engineering Dr. Dean Hendrix, Associate Professor, Computer Science and Software Engineering Dr. Nancy Garcia, Associate Professor, Media Communication, West Texas A&M University ABSTRACT Technology is a critical component of the American economy. Analysts have claimed it is imperative that the United States maintain its status as a worldwide leader in technology or its economy, standard of living, and security are in jeopardy. Yet every year, more technology jobs are created than can be filled by qualified college graduates. A dramatic increase in computer science workers is needed to keep pace with employer needs. Massive challenges face America’s computer science education system. At the K-12 level, many teachers are underqualified to teach technology subjects. Many computer science teachers have backgrounds in non-technical subjects and are often forced to start teaching computer science to keep their jobs. Teachers reported being overwhelmed with student needs and they therefore lack the time required to fine-tune their course curriculum. Despite the wealth of resources that exist to help people learn computer science, teachers report very few resources exist that focus on how to effectively teach computer science. Additionally, computer science teachers in Utah describe existing computer science course curriculum as being outdated, unengaging, and uninteresting to students. Particularly, teachers described Utah’s Exploring Computer Science (ECS) I course curriculum as boring and lackluster. ii To help K-12 computer science teachers in Utah, we created a partnership with the State Board of Education, administrators and faculty from St. Owensby College, and Utah high school teachers. Through this partnership, we created a series of alternate lesson plans for Utah’s ECS I course. These lesson plans focus on active learning and engagement of students through problems and projects. After the fall 2018 semester, we administered a survey to the 38 registered users of the portal, seeking feedback on the effectiveness of the portal and the curriculum enhancements. We conducted in-person interviews with six teachers to collect qualitative data regarding the curriculum and portal. Feedback from teachers was extremely positive toward both the portal and the curriculum. Teachers found the portal helpful and easy to navigate and the curriculum engaging and interesting to students. Yet problems such as lack of knowledge-sharing, persistent computer science self-efficacy concerns, and the need for more in-depth training persist. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I first must thank the Lord God Almighty, without whom not only would this dissertation not be completed, but the very thought of it, and us, would be totally irrelevant. Thank you for providing me the drive and motivation, for providing me breath, life, physical and mental capabilities, and for being there throughout my life in good times and in bad. This dissertation would also not have been possible if not for the patience and support demonstrated by Dr. Jakita O. Thomas, my dissertation committee chair. Thank you! Huge thanks as well to the rest of the committee: Dr. Xiao Qin, Dr. Cheryl D. Seals, Dr. Dean Hendrix, and Dr. Nancy Garcia. Special thanks as well to my University Reader, Dr. Melody Russell. I likewise would never have completed this without the love and support of my beautiful wife Stacy and our five amazing children. I love each of you with all my heart. Standing by your husband/father while he completes one doctoral program is exasperating. Doing so as they complete two doctoral programs in five years is beyond the load any family member should bear. Thank you for your patience and tolerance through this academic journey. Finally, I need to thank all those who helped in the K-12 partnership including Tim Clark, Ben Fletcher, Brian Roadifer, Larry Scoffield, Jed Bodily, Brandon Jacobson, Bill Keil, Lezlie Harper, Lance Peterson, Angela Nederhand, Nicole Reitz-Larsen, Kathy Bekkemellom, and a slew of other Utah K-12 teachers. Thank you! iv To all who read this, know that with a cheerful mindset, rugged persistence, and faith in God, all things are possible. No matter how dark the night, when you arise each day with a renewed sense of unbridled optimism and relentless positivity, good will always follow. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... xiii LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Computer Science Student Interest ....................................................................................... 3 1.2 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................................. 5 1.3 Assumptions .......................................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Research Questions ............................................................................................................... 6 1.5 Significance of the Study ...................................................................................................... 7 1.6 Summary ............................................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................................... 10 2.1 Historical Context ............................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Calls for Science Education Reform in Modern Times ...................................................... 12 2.3 A Legitimate Threat to the Nation ...................................................................................... 14 2.4 STEM Career Opportunities ................................................................................................ 16 2.5 Computer Science: The ‘T’ in STEM ................................................................................. 17 2.6 Computer Science Career Opportunities ............................................................................. 18 vi 2.7 The Computer Science Worker Shortage ............................................................................ 23 2.8 Student Interest in Computer Science ................................................................................. 25 2.9 High School Computer Science Curriculum ....................................................................... 27 2.10 ECS Utah ........................................................................................................................... 27 2.11 Computer Science Faculty Resources ............................................................................... 28 2.12 High School Computer Science Faculty Resources in Utah ............................................. 31 2.13 The Need for Improved Online Resources ........................................................................ 32 2.14 Computer Science Teacher Identity, Self-Efficacy, and Enthusiasm ............................... 33 2.15 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 35 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................. 39 3.1 Research Questions ............................................................................................................. 40 3.2 Building Community Collaboration .................................................................................... 41 3.3 A Collaborative Curriculum Portal ..................................................................................... 42 3.4 St. Owensby Computer Science Curriculum Enhancements .............................................. 46 3.5 Research Design .................................................................................................................. 48 3.5.1 Establishing the Paradigm ............................................................................................ 48 3.5.2 Type of Study ............................................................................................................... 50 3.5.3 Instrumentation ............................................................................................................