Award Date

5-15-2026

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Teaching and Learning

First Committee Member

Katherine Wade-Jaimes

Second Committee Member

Hasan Deniz

Third Committee Member

Kendall Hartley

Fourth Committee Member

Omolola Odejimi

Fifth Committee Member

Ung-Sang Lee

Number of Pages

154

Abstract

This study investigates how elementary teachers develop and negotiate their identities as computer science (CS) teachers within the expanding presence of CS in early K–12 education. As CS is increasingly integrated into early grades, many teachers are expected to teach it without formal preparation. It positions them to simultaneously learn, teach, and construct a professional identity in an unfamiliar domain. Using an interpretive phenomenological approach, this study examines teachers’ lived experiences of identity development by drawing on identity theory (Gee, 2000) and the performance, recognition, and competence framework (Carlone & Johnson,2007) to understand how identity is shaped through practice, institutional contexts, and social interactions. Data from in-depth interviews were analyzed through iterative coding (Saldana,2016) to identify patterns in how teachers make meaning of their roles. Findings reveal that CS teacher identity is often initiated through institutional assignment or mandate rather than personal readiness, which requires teachers to act in the role before fully identifying with it. Teachers develop competence through co-learning, improvisation, and repeated practice, while recognition emerges as a central stabilizing force. Students serve as the most consistent source of affirmation, whereas recognition from peers and institutions remains uneven. Teachers largely maintain a primary identity as generalist educators, and position being a CS educator as secondary, while broader social factors such as race, gender, language, and cultural expectations shape their sense of legitimacy and belonging. In response, teachers integrate, adapt, or strategically limit CS within their professional identities. This study positions teacher identity as a critical yet underexamined dimension of CS integration and highlights the need for sustained support, meaningful recognition, and structural alignment to foster equitable and enduring CS education in elementary settings.

Keywords

Computer science education; Elementary teachers; K-12 computer science integration; Teacher identity development; Teacher professional identity

Disciplines

Education | Educational Administration and Supervision | Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration

File Format

PDF

File Size

910 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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