Effects of a teacher development program on teachers' knowledge and collaborative engagement, and students' achievement in computational thinking concepts

An important educational goal for the next generation is the ability to think computationally. Cultivating K-12 students' computational thinking (CT) requires the capacity building of teachers through teacher development programs. However, if students' learning outcomes were not assessed, it is not known whether the enhancement of teacher capacity could impact on students' learning. This study aimed to examine how a teacher development program changed teachers' content knowledge and collaborative engagement, which in turn influenced their students' learning achievement. The participants were 81 teachers and 3226 students from primary schools. We employed multi-level modelling to study the relationships between teacher-level variables and student achievement assessed by a CT concepts test. The teachers' content knowledge and collaborative engagement were significantly enhanced through the program, which in turn had a significant impact on student achievement. Teachers' years of teaching experience, but not their gender or whether they had majored in computer science, could also affect student achievement. The results indicate that a teacher development program can play a significant role in enhancing the teachers' CT content knowledge and collaborative engagement, which can then have a positive effect on student learning. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic The cultivation of students' computational thinking (CT) in K-12 education requires the capacity building of teachers. A teacher development program can improve teachers' knowledge and attitudes related to CT. Whether the enhancement of teacher capacity can in turn affect students' learning achievement in CT is less studied. What this paper adds We found that a teacher development program could significantly enhance teachers' knowledge in CT and their collaborative engagement in the program. Using multilevel modelling, we found further that the enhancement of teachers' knowledge and collaborative engagement could affect students' understanding of CT concepts positively. Teachers' years of teaching experience, but not their gender or whether they had majored in computer science, could also influence student achievement. Implications for practice and/or policy In designing similar teacher development programs for teachers, collaborative engagement opportunities should be provided as it can have a positive impact on student achievement. Although the majority of teachers do not have a background in computer science, a teacher development program can play a significant role in enhancing their knowledge in CT, no matter they had majored in computer science or not. The significance of the program is not limited to the development of teachers, as the enhancements of teachers' knowledge and collaborative engagement through the program can in turn have a positive impact on students' understanding of CT concepts.