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Computational Thinking Skills in Primary Teachers: Evaluation Using Bebras

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Computer Science – CACIC 2019 (CACIC 2019)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1184))

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Abstract

The results of a research on Computational Thinking skills in primary-level teachers, who completed a specialization in computer science didactics, are presented. The methodology was mixed – qualitative and quantitative. As data collection instruments, two tests based on the Bebras Problems were used. To analyze the texts written by the teachers on how they solve the problems, content analysis was used. It was found that a high percentage of teachers managed to solve problems of medium complexity that involve skills such as abstraction, pattern recognition, models and simulation, algorithms and decomposition. Moreover, it was observed that teachers manifest significant difficulties in describing and explaining when writing the process of solving the problems posed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    La construcción del pensamiento computacional: estudio del impacto desde la formación de formadores. Proyecto de Investigación y Desarrollo (PID) financiado por el Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Provincia de Córdoba. 2019–2020.

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Acknowledgments

We want to thank all the primary school teachers who participated in the Higher Level Teaching Specialization in Didactics of Computational Science, Fundación Sadosky and Instituto Ramon Menendez Pidal. We thank our colleagues from Specialization who provided insight and expertise that greatly assisted the research.

A special thanks to Bruno and Augusto Ficco Daniele for their collaboration and contributions.

This work is supported in part by the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología of the Province of Córdoba (Argentina) through Research and Development Project (PID 2019–2020) “The construction of computational thinking: study of the impact from teacher training”. Funding from the UNRC is gratefully acknowledged for the project (PPI 2020–2022) “Computational thinking and teaching practices in science”.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Computación, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Ruta 36 km 601, Río Cuarto, Argentina

    Francisco Bavera & Marcela Daniele

  2. Departamento de Física, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Ruta 36 km 601, Río Cuarto, Argentina

    Teresa Quintero

  3. Departamento de Matemática, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físico-Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Río Cuarto, Ruta 36 km 601, Río Cuarto, Argentina

    Flavia Buffarini

Authors
  1. Francisco Bavera
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  2. Teresa Quintero
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  3. Marcela Daniele
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  4. Flavia Buffarini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Francisco Bavera .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. RedUNCI Chair, National University of La Plata, La Plata, Argentina

    Patricia Pesado

  2. National University of Río Cuarto, Río Cuarto, Argentina

    Marcelo Arroyo

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Bavera, F., Quintero, T., Daniele, M., Buffarini, F. (2020). Computational Thinking Skills in Primary Teachers: Evaluation Using Bebras. In: Pesado, P., Arroyo, M. (eds) Computer Science – CACIC 2019. CACIC 2019. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1184. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48325-8_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48325-8_26

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-48324-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-48325-8

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