Using Word Clouds to Uncover Preservice Teachers’ Understanding of Computational Thinking in the Context of Teacher Education Coursework

Computational thinking (CT) is important for many 21st century skills. It involves being able to decompose problems, think abstractly, and use technology for automating processes. The current research study is part of a multi-year project that seeks to develop, implement, and evaluate a regional collaborative partnership for infusing CT in preservice teacher education across the Mid-Atlantic region. Participants included preservice teachers (N=184) enrolled in courses delivered by teacher educators (n=17) who attended a CT-focused professional development program. Data was collected through open-ended survey responses before and after participation in a CT-integrated learning module within a teacher education course. Open-ended responses were analyzed in R to create word clouds. Results indicate that participants strengthened their understanding of CT and the role of technology in developing school students CT skills...