Enacting Computer Science Curriculum Reform: The Case of Model and Experimental Lower Secondary Schools in Greece

This paper presents the findings of a study on computer science teachers’ views regarding the reform of the computer science curriculum and its implementation in Greek model and experimental lower secondary schools (called Gymnasiums). Research data were collected through interviews with 19 computer science teachers who implemented the new curriculum in 12 model or experimental junior high schools. The results showed that the teachers acknowledged the important role of the computer science curriculum, which is perceived as a tool guiding their instruction. They have also understood and adopted, to a large extent, many elements of the instructional framework proposed by the new curriculum: (a) student-centred teaching approaches; (b) learning activities that promote students’ active participation, inquiry, and collaborative learning; (c) focus on the expected students’ learning outcomes related to developing a range of computational competences such as digital skills, computational thinking, problem-solving skills, creativity, and collaboration; and (d) students’ assessment is constructively aligned with the anticipated learning outcomes, including the learning activities implemented as well as their digital-computational creations.