Conceptualizing a Computational Thinking Framework to Train Malaysian Teachers

The inclusion of computational thinking (CT) in the Malaysian school curriculum calls for an urgent need to prepare the teachers to learn and teach CT, encountering significant challenges conceptually, pedagogically, and technologically. A preliminary investigation revealed an apparent lack of under...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: LING LING, UNG
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/36560/1/Ung%20Ling.pdf
http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/36560/
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Summary:The inclusion of computational thinking (CT) in the Malaysian school curriculum calls for an urgent need to prepare the teachers to learn and teach CT, encountering significant challenges conceptually, pedagogically, and technologically. A preliminary investigation revealed an apparent lack of understanding of CT skills in general among Malaysian teachers. Consequently, aiming to fill the gaps identified, this thesis's primary goal is to provide evidence to help policymakers and educators introduce CT skills in the school curriculum. The research herein addresses three challenges: (1) to design a CT framework through the investigation of the attributes required to train Malaysian teachers in CT teaching and learning (TL) conceptualisation, (2) to examine the success of the proposed conceptual framework in educating teachers on CT’s principle and (3) to investigate teachers’ perspectives and expectations towards the characteristics of intervention. To test the hypothesis that the proposed conceptual framework (myCTG) resulted in a significant difference to the Malaysian teachers’ CT TL knowledge after the intervention, the Information Systems Design Theory is referred to design and develop an effective information system conceptual framework. To build the intervention, a web-based learning (WBL) system, Rapid Prototyping was employed. An empirical test was executed with the teachers in the Sabah region. myCTG comprises four constructs: the contextualised material, pedagogy, technology and support, which aims to impart the Malaysian teachers with CT TL knowledge appropriate to the education system was produced. The research results show that CT's knowledge among teachers conceptually, pedagogically, and technologically has been successfully developed and improved. System, service, information and collaboration qualities positively impacted teachers’ intention and satisfaction in the myCTG employment. The findings suggest that the service quality firmly attributes to the user’s satisfaction, and the collaboration quality signifies the user’s intention. They understand what to take to enhance their CT TL practices. The research results affirm myCTG's reliability and validity, while the kernel theories, design concepts, and even the formulation of testable hypotheses establish an added value derived from relevant literature. myCTG success measurements have furnished us with the crucial factors that can be utilised, integrated, and combined to provide a more effective CT concept's professional development.