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The Evolution of Computing Education Research: A Meta-Analytic Perspective

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Past, Present and Future of Computing Education Research

Abstract

Computing education research (CER) has gradually built its own identity as a research field. A part of this process has been the publication of a growing number of meta-studies which have explored the CER literature to identify the state of the art and trends in terms of active research topics, the nature of publications, use of different research methods, and the use and development of theoretical frameworks in papers published in different conferences and journals. In this chapter, we explore these meta-studies to build a picture of the way in which research in the field has developed. We identify trends over years, and discuss the implications of these findings for the future of the field.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    While instruments are generally considered methodological tools to measure something, we take here the perspective that they are theory-informed constructs which support the implementation of some specific theory or theories in research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aalto University, Espoo, Finland

    Lauri Malmi

  2. University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

    Jane Sinclair

  3. Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Judy Sheard

  4. Wadalba, NSW, Australia

    Simon

  5. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Päivi Kinnunen

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  1. Lauri Malmi
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  2. Jane Sinclair
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  3. Judy Sheard
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Correspondence to Lauri Malmi .

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  1. University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland

    Mikko Apiola

  2. University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland

    Sonsoles López-Pernas

  3. University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland

    Mohammed Saqr

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Malmi, L., Sinclair, J., Sheard, J., Simon, Kinnunen, P. (2023). The Evolution of Computing Education Research: A Meta-Analytic Perspective. In: Apiola, M., López-Pernas, S., Saqr, M. (eds) Past, Present and Future of Computing Education Research . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25336-2_4

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