The study of Computer Science (CS)/coding in schools has gained renewed interest in recent decades after the early optimism of the late 1970 and 1980s abated because of the rise of interest in the integration of ICT across the curriculum in schools in the 1990s (Brown et al., 2014). This resurgence of interest has since accelerated (Yadyav et al, 2016; Williamson et al, 2019). These initiatives are often in the form of ‘learning to code’ courses or specific CS subjects (Ottestad & Gudmundsdottir, 2018). Analysis by Heintz et al (2016) and Keane and McInerney (2017) suggests that this interest has mainly materialised as standalone subjects on the curriculum rather than being integrated within existing subjects.  Williamson et al (2019) argue that such is the level of attention afforded to CS/coding it has become a transnational policy movement.  They also remark that despite the relatively quick materialisation of CS/coding in schools as a major policy agenda, the area remains under-researched. 

Despite the interest and attention afforded to CS/Coding in schools, the rationales for its introduction vary ranging from explicit economic rationales concerned about national economic competitiveness (Tucker, 2003; McGarr & Johnston, 2020) to broader social and educational justifications aimed at addressing inequalities of opportunity or developing specific cognitive skills for students such as problem solving and analytical skills.  These different agendas and rationales are a product of the messiness of the policy making process where multiple stakeholders elbow for influence (Williamson et al, 2019).

When one considers how CS/Coding is materialised in schools, as a stand-alone subject rather than being integrated across the curriculum, it appears to contradict the rationales put forward for its integration in schools.  There appears to be a disconnect between the policy rhetoric for a coding for all agenda and how it is ultimately realised in schools as an optional discrete subject.  

To explore the rationale for this ‘gap’, this paper explores the recent interest in CS/Coding in schools through the lens of curriculum ideologies (Ross, 2000). Viewing the recent attention in this area as an example of a contemporary curriculum change, this paper aims to undertake a theoretical exploration of the literature surrounding the history of CS/coding in schools using the theoretical lens of curriculum ideologies. It therefore aims to use this historical exploration to help explain past and present rationales for its study in schools. In doing so it aims to highlight the contradictions in current policies.  

To undertake this study, the paper presents the results of a theoretical exploration of the literature exploring early justifications for CS/Coding in schools from the first wave of interest in this area in the 1970s and 1980s. It then uses the lens of curriculum ideologies to critique the rationales underpinning this phase of interest that emerge from the literature at this time. Following this, the paper explores the more recent second wave of interest in CS/coding from more contemporary sources and again examines these recent developments through the lens of curriculum ideologies. The paper then aims to explain some of the factors that have led to this renewed interest and explores the insights gained from using this theoretical lens to make sense of recent rationales and practices in the area of CS/Coding.

Through the use of this theoretical lens to explain current curriculum developments in the area of CS/Coding in schools, a gap between the reported intentions of a curriculum innovation and the actualities of its realisation is evident. The analysis highlights the malleable use of curriculum ideologies to achieve particular agendas – even if they contradict contemporary education developments. Neo-vocational ideology underpins much of the discourse in relation to its introduction in schools but it appears masked by a more progressive educational ideology that draws on contemporary discourses around transferrable skills and competencies. This analysis also highlights the continuing resilience of subject boundaries within national curricula and that for status, prestige and longevity, the realisation of CS/Coding as a standalone subject is the most effective outcome within this environment despite being presented as a skill for all students. At a time when national curricula shift towards more skills-based learning outcomes that lessen the significance of traditional canons of subject knowledge, it is important to recognise that subject sub-cultures and traditional demarcations of content on the curriculum remain powerful influencers over attempts to introduce new content and skills across the curriculum.

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