"Reflection as Formative Assessment of Computational Thinking in Elementary Grades"

Third-year doctoral student Ha Nguyen (right) is first author of an article published by the International Conference of the Learning Sciences examining the use of Flipgrid, a student-facing video platform, to invite students to reflect on their programming artifacts and document their computing language and practices.

The title of the article is “Reflection as Formative Assessment of Computational Thinking in Elementary Grades.”

Co-authors are second-year doctoral student Leiny Garcia; fourth-year doctoral student Sharin Jacob; Debra Richardson, professor emerita and founding dean of the UCI School of Information and Computer Science; and professor Mark Warschauer.

Nguyen is specializing in Teaching, Learning, and Educational Improvement. Her research interests include design of STEM learning experiences and multimodal assessment to study collaboration and conceptual understanding. She is advised by Warschauer and Professor Rossella Santagata.

Garcia is specializing in Teaching, Learning and Education Improvement. Her research interests lie in the intersection of design theory, critical theory, and learning sciences with a focus on STEM K-12 education. She is advised by Warschauer and Associate Professor June Ahn.

Jacob’s research interests are interdisciplinary, bringing theory from the learning sciences, computer science education, and applied linguistics to study the teaching and learning of computing and computational thinking to multilingual students. She is advised by Warschauer and specializing in Language, Literacy, and Technology.

Richardson’s research over most of her career has been in software engineering. Currently, she is working on broadening participation in computing, largely through expansion of quality, relevant K-16 computer science education, with the explicit purpose of reaching students of underserved groups.

Warschauer’s research foci include digital learning, language and literacy, STEM, and learning analytics. As director of the Digital Learning Lab at UC Irvine, he guides a range of research projects related to digital media in education.

Abstract
​
Capturing how students develop computational thinking is critical to integrating computer science education into school settings. This paper examines the use of Flipgrid, a student-facing video platform, to invite students to reflect on their programming artifacts and document their computing language and practices. Data sources include 63 reflection videos and 41 programming projects in two fourth grade classes. We apply discourse analysis and find that student displayed enriched discourse in vocabulary and practices, but not CS concepts, in response to explicit prompts. Frequencies of vocabulary use and connection to programming narratives in reflections were strongly correlated with programming artifact scores (overall score; sub-scores in user interactivity, mechanics, and computer science constructs). We discuss implications for leveraging reflection tools in computer science instruction in K-12 classrooms.