Systematizing ICT Education Curriculum for Developing Computational Thinking: Case Studies of Curricula in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom

Overview & Synopsis

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) education has been actively implemented around the world recently. ICT curriculum in schools is intended to improve students' programming-oriented thinking rather than to train them as programmers. The core of ICT education is 'computational thinking'. Computational thinking is taking an approach to solving problems, designing systems and understanding human behaviour that draws on concepts. Various countries try to develop ICT curriculum based on this concept. However, unlike traditional subjects, the ICT curriculum has yet to create a unified structure. This research sheds light on the characteristics of ICT education curricula by comparing and contrasting curricula in the United Kingdom (UK), the United States and Australia. Finally, a common framework is proposed on the basis of the discussion. Furthermore, while ICT education is often addressed solely from the standpoint of science and technology, a social science perspective is needed. Therefore, the importance of social science in ICT education will also be clarified.