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1. Exploring Elementary Educators’ Perceptions of AI in the Context of Professional Development.

   Ospina-Tabares, Santiago; Mathayas, Nitasha; Mead, Hilary; Mouza, Chrystalla; Pollock, Lori (January 2025, Research Highlights in Technology and Teacher Education 2025. AACE2025)

   Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on education is a topic gaining attention due to the opportunities and challenges it presents for K-12 classrooms. While educators are crucial in integrating AI technology into instruction, empirical evidence documenting elementary educators’ perceptions of AI and its integration in classroom instruction is scarce. This study explores elementary educators’ perceptions of AI during and after participation in a professional development (PD) program which incorporated AI-focused sessions. Analyzing data from interviews, exit tickets, and group discussions, findings indicate that perceptions are shaped by factors such as the perceived usefulness of AI tools, ethical considerations, risks for younger students, and pedagogical concerns. Further, findings indicate that educators responded positively to the AI concepts and associated resources introduced in the PD. These findings offer important insights for research, practice, and policy to better support educators’ AI integration into classroom instruction. 

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2. The role of student characterization in teachers’ approaches to culturally responsive computer science instruction

   Nolte, A; Rolon-Dow, R; Mouza, C; Pollock, L (April 2024, Annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association)

   Despite growth in computer science (CS) education, females and racially minoritized populations remain underrepresented in the field. Integrating culturally responsive pedagogy (CRP) in CS education is critical to reducing these disparities. In this work, we investigate how teachers employ student characterizations to support their approaches to CS and CRP integration following participation in professional development (PD) designed to support the integration of CS and CRP in content area instruction. Qualitative interview data were collected from 15 elementary teachers who attended the PD. Findings indicate that teachers referenced academic and demographic student characteristics to support their stances toward CS and CRP integration. Implications are drawn regarding the design of PD programs that help elementary teachers consider student identities when designing culturally responsive CS instruction. 

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3. Examining instructional planning and implementation in the context of an integrated computer science professional development for elementary teachers [Poster presentation]

   Nolte, A.; Mead, H.; Mouza, C.; Rolón-Dow, R.; Pollock, L. (January 2023, American Educational Research Association,)

   Elementary schools provide a natural entry point to computer science (CS) education, yet elementary teachers spend most of their instructional time in literacy and math. One way to bring CS in elementary schools is through integrated approaches. In this work we present a professional development (PD) program that helps elementary teachers integrate CS with content and culturally relevant pedagogy to create accessible CS instruction. Qualitative data were collected from five teachers who attended the year-long program. Findings indicate that all teachers fully integrated CS with content and culturally-relevant pedagogy; however, such integration focused mostly on literacy and closely paralleled what was presented in PD. Implications are drawn regarding the design of PD programs that help teachers integrate CS in elementary classrooms. 

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4. Middle School CS Teachers’ Perceptions of Standards-focused PD

   Basu, Satabdi; Rachmatullah, Arif; Tate, Carol; Rutstein, Daisy; Yang, Hui (June 2024, International Society of the learning Sciences, ICLS 2024 Proceedings)

   Standards can support access to quality instruction. We examine how a standards-focused professional development (PD) approach can supplement traditional curriculum-based CS PD to improve teacher capacity. Using a case study approach, we explore two teachers’ perceptions of standards-focused PD and its effects. Findings indicate that teachers did not initially view standards as essential to their teaching but those who persisted through PD eventually advocated for making standards-focused PD compulsory for all CS teachers. 

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5. Exploring Elementary Teachers’ Perceptions of Data Science and Curriculum Design through Professional Development

   Herro, D. (October 2022, Journal of technology and teacher education)

   Hartshorne, Richard (Ed.)

   Data science and computational thinking (CT) skills are important STEM literacies necessary to make informed daily decisions. In elementary schools, particularly in rural areas, there is little instruction and limited research towards understanding and developing these literacies. Using a Research-Practice Partnership model (RPP; Coburn & Penuel, 2016) we conducted multimethod research investigating nine elementary teachers’ perceptions of data science and related curriculum design during professional development (PD). Connected Learning theory, enhanced with Universal Design for Learning, guided ways we assisted teachers in designing the data science curriculum. Findings suggest teachers maintained high levels of interest in data science instruction and CT before and after the PD and increased their self-efficacy towards teaching data science. A thematic analysis revealed how a data science framework guided curriculum design and assisted teachers in defining, understanding, and co-creating the curriculum. During curriculum design, teachers shared the workload among partners, made collaborative design choices, integrated differentiation strategies, and felt confidence towards teaching data science. Identified challenges included locating data sets and the complexity of understanding data science and related software. This study addresses the research gap in data science education for elementary teachers and assists with successful strategies for data science PD and curricular design. 

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