Teachers’ rationales for integrating programming in primary education

Objectives . This study investigated teachers’ rationales for integrating programming in primary education. The aims were (1) to understand the reasons why teachers support programming, moving beyond mere agreement or disagreement, and (2) to examine how these rationales vary across teacher backgrounds. Participants . Data were collected from a national sample of Finnish Grade 8 teachers as part of the ICILS 2023 study. The dataset includes responses from 2,078 teachers to programming-related questions in primary education. Method . The responses supporting programming in primary education were initially explored using Quanteda text analysis tools. Subsequently, all responses were inductively coded and organized into four categories reflecting breadth of reasoning expressed: N/A, Low, Medium and High. Associations between these categories and teacher backgrounds were examined using chi-squared tests and Cramér’s V to assess effect sizes. Findings . The findings suggest that while Grade 8 teachers largely agree on the inclusion of programming in primary education, they differ in breadth of their articulated rationales. These rationales also varied by background. Especially mathematics, science and ICT teachers, and those with prior programming-teaching experience were more likely to provide justifications reflecting broader educational purposes of programming. Conclusions . The findings contribute Finnish evidence to broader international discussions about how teachers understand and articulate the educational purposes of programming. 1