Trial lecture
Place: Auditorium 3, Helga Engs hus
Time: 10:00 - 10:45
Title: A critical examination of the educational nature and value of programming in formal schooling
Public Defence
Place: Auditorium 3, Helga Engs hus
Time: 12:00 -
Adjudication committee
- 1st opponent: Professor Thomas Hillman, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
- 2nd opponent: Professor Pirita Seitamaa-Hakkarainen, University of Helsinki, Finland
- Chair of committee: Professor Ingvill Rasmussen, Department of Education, University of Oslo
Chair of defence
- Professor and Head of Department Anne Line Wittek, Department of Education, University of Oslo
Supervisors
- Researcher Anders Kluge, Department of Education, University of Oslo
- Professor Anders Mørch, Department of Education, University of Oslo
Summary
Programming as a sociotechnical learning process
Today, programming education in Norwegian schools is organized in two different ways. In the first, the "traditional" variant, programming is organized as separate subjects (elective courses in lower secondary school and “programme” subjects in upper secondary education). The second approach is more integrated, where programming is used as a tool in various subjects. According to the new Norwegian curriculum introduced in 2020, students in primary education are expected to program in mathematics, science, music, and arts and crafts. Both in Norwegian and international contexts, there have been research-oriented and practice-oriented discourses related to this development, in which programming is viewed in a broader context, often under the umbrella term of computational thinking.
This doctoral research addressed how programming in schools can be understood within these new and existing forms, building on theoretical perspectives from Vygotsky, Dewey, and Simon. An important insight from the project is that computers/programs are not just seen as tools but as active participants in the learning process. By considering computers as "actors," Litherland uncovered new perspectives on how students interact with technology and each other when learning to program (Article 1).
To further study this, she developed a method for analysing sociotechnical networks (STNA, Article 2). With this method, researchers can capture the interactions between students, digital, and physical materials in a learning environment and visualise these relationships as interconnected networks.
Programming is not just about finding the "right answer" or correcting "mistakes." It can also resemble a conversation between students and their computers, where they brainstorm, test ideas, and learn together. This perspective on programming can be particularly useful in so-called maker spaces—an interdisciplinary learning arena based on subjects like mathematics, science, art, and crafts, and a culture of freedom and sharing, where students "make" hybrid (digital and physical) "things" (Article 3).
Litherland has participated in two different research projects (Kodesnakk and Proskap), where she collected video data of classroom activities, both of "traditional" screen programming and in interdisciplinary makerspaces. The data were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively, and integrated (so-called mixed methods).
The dissertation provides theoretical, methodological, and empirical contributions and sheds light on practice-oriented questions. Among these are challenges of integrating programming within other subject areas. Further research could focus on the development of STNA as a method, and the integration of theory, methodology, and educational practice. Litherland encourages discussions beyond computational thinking by inviting educational actors and researchers to view programming through Vygotsky’s perspective on mediating tools and learning as inherently collaborative and sociotechnical.