Related Data for: Professional development in coding and computational thinking for mathematics teachers

Since 2006, computational thinking (CT) has been popularised as a critical interdisciplinary skill and linked to mathematical thinking, solidifying its applicability in mathematics education. Singapore has actively introduced CT in its mathematics curriculum and provided professional development (PD) opportunities for mathematics teachers to develop their competencies in incorporating CT in mathematics classrooms. However, research examining how and whether such PD prepares educators to teach mathematics using CT is scarce. The study fills this gap by examining how a PD course that introduces the VBA coding language in Microsoft Excel for computational problem solving develops mathematics educators’ coding skills and CT, and how participating in-service teachers perceive the course with regards to learning coding. Qualitative analysis of the course design revealed that the course materials are capable of helping learners develop CT through instilling in them certain coding habits, while qualitative and quantitative analysis of Likertscale and open-ended responses in the course feedback highlighted many strengths and suggested areas for improvement in various aspects of the course, like course structure, course materials, level of course difficulty, and perceived usefulness and applicability of the course. These findings reveal the benefits of computational approaches adopted in this study for developing CT and coding skills, the relevance of such approaches in mathematics education, areas that can potentially be improved for more effective PD, as well as how rich insights generated by feedback and course design analysis can contribute to assessing the impact of PD and tailoring PD courses to specific teacher needs and concerns.