Supporting language learning through computational thinking instruction: teachers’ shifting beliefs about computational thinking to support English language development

Background and Context As computer science (CS) continues to expand, multilingual learners (MLs), particularly Latine students, remain underrepresented in CS courses and careers, highlighting the importance of equitable access to computational thinking (CT) instruction. Preparing teachers to support MLs in CS and CT contexts requires understanding their beliefs about instruction and language development.Objective This study examines teachers’ beliefs about integrating computational thinking instruction and English language development (ELD), and how these beliefs relate to supporting MLs’ language development.Method This mixed-methods study draws on survey, interview, and instructional artifact data from 17 elementary teachers participating in a professional development and collaborative lesson design initiative. Quantitative survey data were used to examine changes in belief measures over time, while qualitative data were analyzed to develop a detailed understanding of how beliefs were articulated and developed.Findings Findings suggest teachers generally entered the project with positive dispositions toward CT and language learning, though many expressed limited conceptual and practical understanding of how CT and ELD might be integrated in instruction. Across the study period, teachers’ beliefs appeared to become more nuanced and interconnected, with many increasingly describing CT and ELD as mutually reinforcing within science-based instructional contexts. These shifts were associated with participation in collaborative design work and professional development activities that supported iterative engagement with lesson design.Implications Findings suggest that collaborative professional development grounded in CT-integrated lesson design may foster elaborated, practice-oriented teacher beliefs about integrating CS/CT and ELD for MLs — offering promise for expanding equitable access to CT learning in elementary science classrooms MLs.