Deepening Computational Thinking for English Learners by Integrating Community-Based Environmental Literacy

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This project addresses two issues of critical importance to the nation's future: computational thinking, which is foundational to all areas of STEM, and environmental literacy, a set of knowledge, skills, and practices vital to supporting ecologically sound, economically prosperous, and equitable communities for present and future generations. In doing so, it focuses on reaching Hispanics and English learners, two of the fastest growing segments of the K-12 student population, but ones that are not yet fully represented in STEM. In this research project, UC Irvine and three local education agencies serving 95%+ Hispanic learners formed a Research-Practice-Partnership (RPP) to promote computational thinking among Hispanics and English learners. The partnership will develop and implement a two-year elementary school curriculum that integrates computational thinking with language and literacy instruction and culturally sustaining pedagogy. The curriculum leverages the unique cultural and linguistic assets of Hispanic learners to simultaneously develop computing and language skills. The project will develop, implement, and evaluate a third year of the computational thinking curriculum integrated with environmental literacy. This will allow students to deepen their understanding of local environmental phenomena, come to understand the value of computer science in addressing challenges affecting their local communities, and enhance their language and literacy skills through scientific collaboration and communication.The project will address the following research questions: (1) What are the challenges faced in expanding an equity-oriented RPP to additional school districts and grade levels and to integration of new content, and how are those challenges best addressed; (2) What are the best practices for integrating computer science and community-based environmental literacy among fifth grade students with a high percentage of Hispanic English learners; and (3) How does engagement with the curriculum affect the learning processes and outcomes of the students in environmental literacy knowledge, science knowledge, computational thinking, computer science identity, and academic language proficiency? It will address these questions through design-based implementation research centered on teacher instruction, student learning, and problems of teaching practice as identified by practitioners, students, and researchers. The project team will collect and analyze a wide range of data, including field notes from curriculum design meetings and classroom observations; teacher and student interviews and surveys; and assessments of students' learning outcomes in computer science, environmental literacy, science knowledge, and language and literacy. The project will generate important new knowledge disseminated to educational researchers and practitioners about how computational thinking can best be integrated with other STEM content for diverse learners at the elementary level, especially in the area of environmental literacy. It will also produce and disseminate an open access curriculum, instructional resources for teachers and students, and professional development content that can be used and adapted by other school districts and educators across the country. This project is funded through the CS for All: Research and RPPs program.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.