Do student teachers experience self-worth threats in computational thinking?

Theory: The successful implementation of computational thinking into primary schools requires that primary school teachers feel safe and confident in teaching this topic to young learners. However, many student teachers face low expectancy of success and heightened anxiety towards computational thinking. Self-worth theory suggests that this may lead to a self-worth threat and in consequence to engagement in self-protective behaviours, hampering the successful acquisition of skills needed to implement computational thinking into their future classrooms. Aims: This study aims to investigate potential self-worth threats as amplifiers of student teachers’ resistance to engage in computational thinking. Method: 323 student teachers participated in the study. Participants filled out a questionnaire on expectancy of success and anxiety towards computational thinking, and rated how likely they were to engage in self-protective behaviours, i.e., self-handicapping, avoiding novelty, and academic cheating, when learning about computational thinking at the start of the semester. Results: Students showed heightened levels of anxiety and low levels of expectancy towards computational thinking. Further, they reported that they would be likely to engage in self-protective behaviours. A structural equation model showed that anxiety towards computational thinking was positively related to self-protective behaviours. Moreover, expectancy had a negative indirect effect via anxiety towards computational thinking on self-protective behaviours. Discussion: Student teachers might experience self-worth threats when learning about computational thinking and engage in self-protective behaviours that might hamper their success. Our findings caution the impact of possible self-worth threats on teaching methods, thus influencing children's learning in the 21st century.