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1. Implementing Computer Science in Elementary Science Classrooms: An Elementary Teacher’s Perceptions Over Four Years

   Lilly, Sarah; Bredder, Eric; McAlister, Anne M; Chiu, Jennifer L (June 2025, Proceedings of the 19th International Conference of the Learning Sciences – ICLS 2025)

   Rajala, A; Cortez, A; Hofmann, R; Jornet, A; Lotz-Sisitka, J; Markauskaite, L (Ed.)

   As computer science (CS) is integrated in elementary science curricula, it is important to consider teachers’ perceptions in how they access CS and support students to engage in CS skills and standards through NGSS-aligned activities. This single case study utilizes the Interconnected Model of Professional Growth (IMPG) to examine teacher change and explore the perspectives of a teacher, through semi-structured interviews, as he implements an NGSS-aligned, project-based CS unit over the course of four years. Findings indicate that the teacher perceived that changes in his practice helped inform changes in student outcomes and the curriculum and, in turn, these changes in outcomes further informed his teaching practice in the next iteration of the unit. Results highlight the importance of reflection and feedback as a way to impact the teaching practice of integrating CS in elementary science education. 

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2. A case study of whiteness at work in an elementary classroom

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-022-10121-8  

   Searle, Kristin A.; Tofel-Grehl, Colby; Hawkman, Andrea M.; Suárez, Mario I.; MacDonald, Beth L. (January 2022, Cultural Studies of Science Education)

   We are interested in how whiteness shaped one teacher’s abilities to engage his elemen- tary school students in culturally responsive pedagogy, especially his abilities to engage or avoid conversations about race-based inequities in an integrated technology unit focused on NGSS disciplinary practices. We draw upon culturally responsive pedagogy, critical race theory, and critical whiteness studies to understand the role of whiteness in a single case study of integrated elementary science teaching leveraging electronic textiles technology. The case study reported here is part of a larger study investigating how technology inte- gration supports justice-centered science learning for elementary school teachers and their students in the Intermountain Region of the USA. The authors are white and Latino and all, but one, are former classroom teachers. Drawing on multiple data sources (field notes of classroom observations, interviews, transcripts of video-recorded classroom sessions), we developed a single descriptive case to illustrate shifts in teacher practice over time. We documented one white, male, fifth grade teacher’s engagements with his students around issues of race as manifested in conversations about immigration, migration, and forced relocation in an integrated technology unit focused on NGSS disciplinary practices. This single case and the teacher perspectives it illustrates are resonant not only of our data but also the scholarly literature on white pre- and in-service teachers in the USA. We conclude with some practical recommendations for teacher professional development. 

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3. How an undergraduate physical science course influences elementary teachers’ longer-term intentions to teach physical science

   Borges, I. Tapia (April 2022, Annual meeting program American Educational Research Association)

   Preservice science courses typically demonstrate valuable semester impacts on preservice teachers, but less is known about how such courses impact future teacher practice. Using the theory of planned behavior, this study investigates how an undergraduate Physical Science course, focused on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), influences elementary teachers’ longer-term intentions to teach Physical Science. Data sources include a questionnaire with credential-candidate teachers (n=31), who completed a Physical Science course as undergraduates, and interviews with teacher educators, professional development providers, and practicing elementary teachers (n=9). Findings illustrate that credential-candidate teachers did not teach Physical Science during their teaching placements. Such findings were further supported by stakeholders. We detail strategies that could support elementary teachers’ teaching of Physical Science. 

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4. Supporting Upper Elementary Students’ Engineering Practices in an Integrated Science and Engineering Unit.

   https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2--35258  

   Lilly, S.; McAlister, A.; Fick, S.; Chiu, J. L.; McElhaney, K. (June 2020, Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line.)

   To support teachers in providing all students with opportunities to engage in engineering learning activities, research must examine the ways that elementary teachers support how diverse learners engage with engineering ideas and practices. This study focuses on two teachers' verbal supports in classroom discussions across two class sections of a four-week, NGSS-aligned unit that challenged students to redesign their school to reduce water runoff. We examine the research question: How and to what extent do upper-elementary teachers verbally support students' engagement with engineering practices across diverse classroom contexts in an NGSS-aligned integrated science unit? Classroom audio data was collected daily and coded to analyze support through different purposes of teacher talk. Results reveal the purpose of teachers’ talk often varied between the class sections depending on the instructional activity and indicate that teachers utilized a variety of supports toward students' engagement in different engineering practices. In one class, with a large percentage of students with individualized educational plans, teachers provided more epistemic talk about the engineering practices to contextualize the particular activities. For the other class, with a large percentage of students in advanced mathematics, teachers provided more opportunities for students to engage in discussion and support for students to do engineering. This difference in supports may decrease the opportunities for some students to rigorously engage in engineering ideas and practices. This study can inform future research on the kinds of educative supports needed to guide teaching of integrated engineering activities for diverse students. 

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5. Motivating and Increasing the Relevance of Elementary Computer Science in Rural Communities: Exploring Elementary Teacher Perspectives in Idaho

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3626253.3635500  

   Oh, Diana Dajung; Rich, Kathryn M; Bosch-Wilson, Kathleen L; Cunningham, Heather L (March 2024, ACM)

   The Idaho Elementary Computer Science (CS) Collaborative (IECC) is a researcher-practitioner partnership dedicated to understanding how to better support the predominately rural districts in Idaho to implement elementary CS education. As part of the IECC's work, we conducted a survey of elementary teachers across the state. This poster will present our initial findings. Two of the research questions we addressed via the survey are: (1) What factors would motivate Idaho elementary teachers to pursue professional development (PD) related to CS? (2) What are elementary teachers' perceptions of the value of connecting CS education to rural community economies and industries? Descriptive analyses of 309 survey responses suggest that about three-quarters of elementary teachers reported that the following factors would be at least somewhat influential in their decisions to pursue CS PD: a K-5 computational thinking requirement, a district-wide CS planning staff, a pathway for elementary teachers to earn a certification in CS teaching, and a way to request CS PD funding. Few (9%) Idaho elementary teachers found that the perception of a disconnect between CS education and rural community interests was a significant barrier to elementary CS education. Even so, over 70% of them were moderately to strongly interested in mechanisms for connecting their CS education efforts to rural community industries through guest speakers and industry partnerships. The poster will discuss the implications of these and other emerging findings from the teacher survey, as well as IECC's related surveys of Idaho district superintendents and elementary school principals. 

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