Assessment practices in Computer Programming

• Computer programming education in schools has increased in recent years. It has been implemented in schools in different ways and contexts. Programming was embedded in the Swedish national curriculum in 2018, with a particular focus on the following compulsory subjects: mathematics, social sciences and technology. Teachers therefore face teaching completely new content within the current content domain in an already crowded curriculum. This is a major challenge, particularly in technology, due to the lack of Swedish and international research on how teachers can understand, implement and assess programming in schools. Nevertheless, collaborative assessment can lead to an increased understanding of teaching objectives and knowledge requirements. This study explored teachers’ assessment practices in programming in technology. Based on a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews (n = 14), the results show that teachers lack professional dialogues and are left alone to sort assessment out. Teachers also find it difficult to assess different levels and have low expectations. Suggestions are made for further research on which programming solutions should correspond to which assessment level.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Technology

Computer programming

Assessment Practice

Primary School

Sweden

Teknikämnet

Grundskola

Programmering

Programmeringsundervisning

Bedömning

Teknik

Teknik och lärande

Technology and Learning

Teknikvetenskapens lärande och kommunikation

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

kon (subject category)