Future-Forward Educators: Crafting Creative Computer Science Teacher Training Programs Through Focus Group Interviews

Abstract

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, there is a growing need for educators equipped with the skills to teach computer science (CS) creatively. This paper aims to address this need by designing and implementing effective CS teacher training programs, drawing insights from the opinions of education and IT professionals. Through qualitative analysis and text mining, the paper provides detailed strategies for developing and executing these training initiatives. Participants were recruited for focus group interviews (FGI) and teacher training. FGI included 11 experts in CS and education, while teacher training involved 25 general teachers and 71 school administrators. Procedures encompassed FGI planning, questionnaire distribution, online interviews, response review, and analysis, followed by teacher training planning, implementation, satisfaction survey, and analysis. The analysis involved refining FGI data using Textom, keyword frequency analysis, semantic network analysis, and satisfaction survey analysis. Based on FGI analysis, the creative CS teacher training focused on integrating AI and EdTech, enhancing participants' digital competencies. Using text mining techniques, meaningful insights were extracted from unstructured data, guiding program design. Implementation included interactive sessions and online platforms, aligning with expert insights. Satisfaction surveys affirmed program effectiveness, highlighting the need for future enhancements like more practical exercises and networking opportunities. This paper delves into the design and implementation of teacher training programs, informed by expert FGI analysis, to meet the demands of the current era. While it sets a path for future-oriented training, the analysis primarily gauged educator satisfaction, prompting a need for further research. Future studies should assess how educator capabilities evolve post-training. Additionally, there's a call for research to pinpoint which competencies are bolstered by training and whether these enhancements directly correlate with program effectiveness. Such investigations would enrich our understanding of effective training strategies for educators in the digital age.