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Lauri Malmi Judy Sheard Päivi Kinnunen Aalto University, Finland Monash University, Australia Aalto University, Finland [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Simon Jane Sinclair University of Newcastle, Australia University of Warwick, UK [email protected] [email protected] ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION In order to mature as a research field, computing education research Computing education research (CER) seeks to build deep under- (CER) seeks to build a better theoretical understanding of how stu- standing of the complex phenomena and processes involved in dents learn computing concepts and processes. Progress in this teaching and learning computing. The field is maturing [80] in area depends on the development of computing-specific theories terms of Fensham’s criteria [21] for identifying a research disci- of learning to complement the general theoretical understanding pline. In the early days most published works were small case of learning processes. In this paper we analyze the CER literature studies presenting novel teaching innovations and practices, often in three central publication venues – ICER, ACM Transactions of called practice papers [22]. However, during the past 10–15 years in- Computing Education, and Computer Science Education – over creasing numbers of papers can be characterized as research papers the period 2005–2015. Our findings identify new theoretical con- in the sense that they have clear research questions and rigorous structs of learning computing that have been published, and the settings for empirical data collection and analysis, and are informed research approaches that have been used in formulating these con- by some theoretical framework [49, 80]. These theoretical frame- structs. We identify 65 novel theoretical constructs in areas such works are typically adopted from the social sciences, particularly as learning/understanding, learning behaviour/strategies, study educational science and psychology, in addition to some originating choice/orientation, and performance/progression/retention. The in the computing sciences themselves [55]. most common research methods used to devise new constructs One of Fensham’s criteria for an independent field of science include grounded theory, phenomenography, and various statisti- is that the field builds its own domain-specific theories. Malmi cal models. We further analyze how a number of these constructs, et al. [54] explored the CER literature, covering 308 papers from the which arose in computing education, have been used in subsequent ICER conference and two prestigious journals, ACM Transactions research, and present several examples to illustrate how theoretical of Computing Education (TOCE) and Computer Science Education constructs can guide and enrich further research. We discuss the (CSEd) from 2005–2011. Their main interest was the extent to which implications for the whole field. papers published in these venues were building on some theory, model or framework (TMF), and in which disciplines these con- CCS CONCEPTS structs had been developed. As part of their work they identified 23 • Social and professional topics → Computing education. TMFs originating in CER itself, only two of which were originally published in their data pool. KEYWORDS Since that work was carried out, the field has undergone substan- tial growth, as seen, for example, in the number of papers submitted computing education, theory, theoretical construct, research, method to ICER and the corresponding decline in the acceptance rate1. Fur- ACM Reference Format: ther attention has also been paid to the significance of theories Lauri Malmi, Judy Sheard, Päivi Kinnunen, Simon, and Jane Sinclair. 2019. in CER. Lishinski et al. [49] explored papers published in CSEd Computing Education Theories: What Are They and How Are They Used?. and ICER in 2012–2015. They mainly considered methodological In International Computing Education Research Conference (ICER ’19), August rigor, but also looked at the use of theories from outside CER. They 12–14, 2019, Toronto, ON, Canada. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 11 pages. reported: https://doi.org/10.1145/3291279.3339409 “A significantly higher proportion of articles in our sample made use of outside theory than in the results Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed presented by Malmi et al, suggesting that the field is for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation increasingly reaching into other disciplines to frame on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than ACM and interpret studies with respect to previous research must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a in learning theory” (p167). fee. Request permissions from [email protected]. On the other hand, Nelson and Ko [59] present a critical view of the ICER ’19, August 12–14, 2019, Toronto, ON, Canada © 2019 Association for Computing Machinery. role of theories in CER, acknowledging that theories can inform ACM ISBN 978-1-4503-6185-9/19/08...$15.00 https://doi.org/10.1145/3291279.3339409 1See ACM Digital library for details. research design, but noting that in some cases theories may inhibit most importantly, theories help us to overcome the triviality of the design of educational innovations. They call for more work to bare empiricism that at its worst provides neither a theoretical build CER domain-specific theories. It is clear that we cannot expect understanding of a phenomenon nor useful practical guidelines. researchers in social sciences to be able to develop theories on, for Similarly, in mathematics education Niss [60] suggests that theories example, how students learn programming or data structures and can serve as an overarching framework to guide the viewpoint from algorithms. Deep understanding of the subject domain subject is which we look at a phenomenon; that they may offer a way of or- needed for such work, and we should seek to establish fruitful ganising a set of specific observations; and that they may offer ideas collaboration between the fields. for a research methodology or a suitable terminology to discuss a Inspired by these works, we seek to extend our understanding phenomenon. of the role of theories in CER. Responding to the call of Lishinski To remain useful in these roles, theories often need to evolve et al., we focus our investigation specifically on domain-specific and mature. Tellings [68, 86] suggests four ways that different theories. Our work also responds to the question raised by Malmi theories can be combined. In reduction, one theory is redefined et al. [54] concerning whether CER is developing its own theories. in terms of another theory; in synthesis, integration of theories We cover more recent literature than they did, but also focus on leads to totally new insights; in horizontal addition, theories that theories that were first published explicitly in our data pool. Our cover different aspects of one domain are combined to give amore specific research questions are: holistic understanding of a phenomenon; and in vertical addition, (1) What theoretical constructs concerning learning and educa- different theories that describe different stages of development tion in computing have been published in ICER, CSEd, and are stacked on top of one another. This evolution of theories is of JERIC/TOCE2 in 2005–2015? interest in this project as one of our research questions addresses (2) In what areas are these constructs situated? how emerging computing education theories have been used or (3) What methods were used to derive these constructs?