Computational Thinking: Empowering Elementary School Teachers to Transform the Classroom

Abstract

The effectiveness of a curricular proposal designed to develop Computational Thinking competencies in primary school teachers in Colombia was evaluated. The main objective was to determine whether the educational intervention was able to improve the level of competence of teachers. A quasi-experimental design was used with a group of 99 teachers in training and in practice, through a series of reflective workshops based on the curricular proposal, their learning process was intervened. A pretest and a posttest were applied to evaluate the level of competence. The results showed a significant increase in the level of competence. Substantial improvements were observed in the understanding of fundamental concepts and in the ability to solve problems using computational tools. It is important to recognize some limitations. The quasi-experimental design and the sample size could limit the generalizability of the findings. In addition, the duration of the intervention might not be sufficient to evaluate the long-term impact. Future studies with more robust designs and large samples are recommended to corroborate these results and explore the impact. Furthermore, it is suggested that quantitative analyses be complemented with qualitative studies to gain a deeper understanding of teachers’ learning processes. Despite these limitations, the results support the effectiveness of the curricular proposal in developing CT skills in primary school teachers and suggest the need to implement similar programs in other educational contexts.