Swedish study reveals how teacher educators struggle to teach coding properly
A new study of 12 Swedish teacher educators found that most view programming as a standalone technical skill rather than a problem-solving tool, potentially leaving future teachers unprepared to integrate coding meaningfully in classrooms. The finding matters because countries investing heavily in tech education—from K-12 coding mandates to workforce pipeline programs—may be building curricula on shaky pedagogical foundations.
Originaltitel: Exploring teacher educators' experience on programming in primary technology teacher education
As programming has become an integral part of technology education in Sweden, teacher education must prepare future teachers to integrate programming meaningfully into their teaching. However, research on how teacher educators understand programming in technology teacher education remains scarce. The purpose of this study is to explore teacher educators' experience of programming in primary technology teacher education. The phenomenon, programming in technology, is explored by using a phenomenographic approach in order to find the variations of experiences among a group of teacher educators. The empirical material consists of interviews with 12 technology teacher educators from 11 Swedish higher education institutions. The results identify four qualitatively distinct categories of how programming is experienced: (1) as a technological tool, (2) as a technological tool for control, (3) as a technological tool for problem-solving, and (4) as part of technological solutions in society. The study addresses the importance of the relationships between programming, systems thinking, and computational thinking, ensuring that student teachers develop a holistic understanding of programming as part of technological knowledge. The study also provides information that the understanding of the relationship between technological education and educational technology is crucial for the relevance of programming in technology education.