Computational Empowerment in K-12 Education: Formative Assessment Strategies for Educational and Design Practices through Dialogic Learning Approaches

In response to the evolving digitized society, it is crucial to equip children with essential skills for critically and reflectively navigating this environment. Child-Computer Interaction (CCI) researchers have established rich research to advance educational practices and technology development for computational thinking education and introduced a new concept of computational empowerment. However, the absence of effective formative assessment in the research and practices within computational education hinders the facilitation of continuous learning and the enhancement of computational empowerment. Considering this, this doctoral study will explore the core research question of how to develop formative assessment strategies for computational empowerment through the lens of dialogic learning. The research aims to conceptualize a research-based formative assessment model for educators, formative assessment design principles for computational education toolkits and provide instances through illustrative case studies. The study includes literature reviews, learning intervention case studies and participatory design workshops, stimulating discussions and innovative formative assessment strategies for computational empowerment within the CCI community and among practitioners. This doctoral study addresses the need for effective formative assessment in computational education to understand learning, foster learning and enhance computational empowerment in wider implementation. The practical research outcomes will benefit toolkit designers and educators, while the theoretical contributions aim to fill gaps of formative assessment in CCI research and pedagogies, advancing the broader landscape of computational education.