Computer Science Education Needs Analysis of Teachers and Administrators in East Tennessee
Anthony Schmidt
1/8/2020
Introduction
“Planting the Seeds for Computer Science” is a UTK Community-Engaged Research (CER) seed-funded program developed by TPTE professors Dr. Joshua Rosenberg (PI), Dr. Lynn Hodge, and Dr. Mehmet Aydeniz. The overall goal of the program is to facilitate professional development opportunities in order to support K-8 computer science education in East Tennessee. This program is a response to newly drafted K-8 computer science state standards.
The seed program is essentially a pilot program to introduce these standards to the Tennessee educational community. Its immediate goals are to implement professional development opportunities in one school district. Based on the results of this program, it will inform the work done on a related NSF grant application as part of the NSF’s CSforAll project. With an NSF grant, the project can move to its medium-term goals of expanding their program to more districts in East Tennessee. Long-term goals would see the program expanded state-wide.
The main target of this program are K-8 teachers, a term which includes homeroom teachers, STEM/STEAM lab teachers, librarians, media specialists, and anyone else involved in instruction. Additionally, it also aim to attract the support of school administrators (district level, principals, vice principals, instructional coaches, and anyone else involved in supporting teachers).
To date and to our knowledge, there have not been any concerted efforts related to promoting and training teachers in the adoption of the new computer science standards. As a result, a needs analysis survey was developed. The purpose of this survey was to establish the needs of teachers and administrators in order to facilitate the adoption of K-8 computer science standards and provide the proposed professional development opportunities.
The needs analysis was completed by teachers and administrators. Follow those links to jump to the participants section.
The needs analysis attempts to address the following questions. Click each link below to jump to appropriate section.
- What are the perceptions of CSE by teachers and administrators?
- To what extent and how is CSE taught in East Tennessee schools?
- What are teacher and administrator needs related to computer science education (CSE) instruction?
- What are teacher and administrator needs related to professional development for CSE?
- What other needs do teachers and administrators have related to CSE?
Survey Participants - Teachers
There were 101 unique respondents.
School Types
| School Type | n | percent |
|---|---|---|
| Elementary | 56 | 55.45% |
| Middle | 34 | 33.66% |
| Both | 11 | 10.89% |
| Neither/Other | 0 | 0.00% |
| Total | 101 | - |
Teacher Roles
| Teacher Role | n | percent |
|---|---|---|
| Science teacher | 26 | 21.49% |
| General education teacher | 21 | 17.36% |
| Math teacher | 16 | 13.22% |
| STEAM/STEM Lab teacher | 15 | 12.40% |
| Other | 13 | 10.74% |
| Social studies teacher | 9 | 7.44% |
| ELA teacher | 8 | 6.61% |
| Computer science teacher | 5 | 4.13% |
| History teacher | 4 | 3.31% |
| Librarian | 2 | 1.65% |
| Media specialist | 2 | 1.65% |
| Total | 121 | - |
Note: some teachers have multiple roles
| Other Teacher Roles |
|---|
| combined music/stem teacher |
| Gifted Teacher/STEM Coach |
| STEM coach |
| Special Education |
| Music teacher |
| Technology teacher |
| Music |
| special ed./reading interventionist |
| Engineering / Robotics Specialist |
| RTI teacher |
| Special ed |
| Music, Drama Teacher |
| Reading Interventionist |
Grades Taught In
| Grades Taught | n |
|---|---|
| Multiple | 76 |
| Single | 6 |
Note: many teachers taught in more than one grade
Distrcts Represented by Teachers
| School District | n | percent |
|---|---|---|
| Knox County Schools | 10 | 12% |
| Union County School | 10 | 12% |
| Weakley County Schools | 7 | 8% |
| Morgan County Schools | 6 | 7% |
| Oak Ridge City Schools | 6 | 7% |
| Anderson County Schools | 5 | 6% |
| Not listed | 5 | 6% |
| Campbell County Schools | 3 | 4% |
| Fayette County Schools | 3 | 4% |
| Loudon County Schools | 3 | 4% |
| Prefer not to answer | 3 | 4% |
| Roane County Schools | 3 | 4% |
| Sevier County Schools | 3 | 4% |
| Sweetwater City Schools | 3 | 4% |
| Blount County Schools | 2 | 2% |
| Jefferson County Schools | 2 | 2% |
| Alcoa City Schools | 1 | 1% |
| Clinton City Schools | 1 | 1% |
| Gibson County Special School District | 1 | 1% |
| Henry County Schools | 1 | 1% |
| Hollow Rock-Bruceton Special School District | 1 | 1% |
| Kingsport City Schools | 1 | 1% |
| Lauderdale County Schools | 1 | 1% |
| Polk County Schools | 1 | 1% |
| Shelby County Schools | 1 | 1% |
| Total | 83 | - |
District Map
Survey Participants - Administrators
A total of 34 administrators participated.
| Admin Role | n | percent |
|---|---|---|
| Other | 18 | 52.94% |
| Instructional coach | 6 | 17.65% |
| School principal | 5 | 14.71% |
| Assistant principal | 4 | 11.76% |
| Curriculum coordinator | 1 | 2.94% |
| Total | 34 | - |
| Other Admin Roles |
|---|
| Civil Air Patrol STEM education |
| Professional Development Coordinator |
| various roles |
| Specialty Coordinator |
| lead sped teacher |
| Jackson Christian School not listed above. |
| We work in many counties as educators at the Muse Children and Science Museum |
Districts Represented by Administrators
| School District | n | percent |
|---|---|---|
| Not listed | 3 | 14% |
| Oak Ridge City Schools | 3 | 14% |
| Blount County Schools | 2 | 9% |
| Campbell County Schools | 2 | 9% |
| Claiborne County Schools | 2 | 9% |
| Knox County Schools | 2 | 9% |
| Union County School | 2 | 9% |
| Anderson County Schools | 1 | 5% |
| Fayette County Schools | 1 | 5% |
| Jackson County Schools | 1 | 5% |
| Morgan County Schools | 1 | 5% |
| Prefer not to answer | 1 | 5% |
| Warren County Schools | 1 | 5% |
| Total | 22 | - |
What are the perceptions of CSE by teachers and administrators?
Here, perceptions refer to awareness of standards, perceieved importance of CSE, and interest in teaching CSE.
Familiarity
Survey Question: “Before taking this survey, how aware were you of the Tennessee computer science standards?” 
Importance
Survey Question: “How important do you think it is for students to learn CS?”
Interest
Teacher Survey Question: “How interested are you in teaching CS?”
Teacher explanations of their interest level
Survey Question: (For teachers who do not teach CS) What kind(s) of CS instruction are you interested in implementing?
Interest has a significant low to moderate correlation to awareness and importance
| interest | aware | |
|---|---|---|
| interest | ||
| aware | 0.26 | |
| importance | 0.52*** | 0.16 |
What types of CSE are teachers most interested in?
Preparation
Administrator Survey Question: “How prepared do you think your school (or district if you are a district-level administrator) is to implement computer science standards?”
Teacher Survey Question: “How prepared are you for teaching CS to your students?”
Note: this was only asked of teachers who have already taught CS.
To what extent and how is CSE taught in East Tennessee schools?
These questions sought to understand if CS has been taught in schools, and, if so, how it has been taught.
Administrator Perspectives
Survey Question: Last year/This year, were students in your district provided CS instruction or learning opportunities?
| Year | Response | n |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | No | 4 |
| 2018 | Yes | 11 |
| 2019 | No | 3 |
| 2019 | Yes | 12 |
Survey Question: If your school or district does have a leadership position related to CS education, please explain the role that this leader plays in your school or district.
Teacher Perspectives
Survey Question: Do you already teach CS?
| Teach CS? | n | percent |
|---|---|---|
| No | 62 | 70.45% |
| Yes | 26 | 29.55% |
| Total | 88 | - |
| School Type | Teach CS | n | pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Both | No | 6 | 67% |
| Both | Yes | 3 | 33% |
| Elementary | No | 34 | 74% |
| Elementary | Yes | 12 | 26% |
| Middle | No | 22 | 67% |
| Middle | Yes | 11 | 33% |
Survey Question: What kind(s) of CS instruction are you interested in implementing?
| Type | n |
|---|---|
| a stand-alone CS class | 5 |
| CS as a part of a technology class | 8 |
| CS integrated with math or science | 9 |
| CS integrated with other subjects | 11 |
| other (please specify) | 4 |
| Other Responses |
|---|
| Integrated in STEAM curriculum |
| CS integrated with STEM specials class |
| In my classroom. |
| STEM class |
What are teacher and administrator needs related to computer science education (CSE) instruction?
Resources
Survey Question: What specific resources - if any - are available related to CS education?
Needs of Administrators
Survey Question: What needs related to CS education do you have as an administrator?
Survey Question: What needs related to CS education do you have in terms of supporting your individual teachers?
Needs of Teachers
Survey Question: What needs related to CS education do you have?
Survey Question: What barriers do you/would you face in implementing CS standards in your teaching?
What are teacher and administrator needs related to professional development for CSE?
Survey Question: What form(s) of teacher professional development related to CS education are available?
Survey Question: When would you be most interested in attending a CS education professional development opportunity?
