2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

In recent years, computer science (CS) education has gained prominence in the K-12 curriculum, equipping students with essential 21st-century skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity. As this field continues to evolve, educators are exploring more creative, interdisciplinary approaches. Among those approaches, integrating music into programming has emerged as a particularly effective strategy. Music can make coding more engaging for students, while programming allows students to bring their musical ideas to life in ways that go beyond traditional performances. Flow-based programming (FBP), a visual programming paradigm that represents processes through connected boxes, offers a unique and accessible entry point into programming, especially for students in K-12 settings. The simplicity and intuitive nature of FBP align well with the structure of music, making it an ideal tool for integrating these two subjects. While prior research has shown that flow-based music programming environments can positively influence students' attitudes toward programming, the success of such approaches depends heavily on teachers, especially those with no prior CS experience. Teachers play a pivotal role in determining whether these innovative approaches reach the classroom and engage students. Moreover, their confidence and willingness to adopt CS tools are key factors that influence student outcomes. To investigate how flow-based music programming environments impact teachers’ confidence and attitude, our study involved ten elementary school teachers who participated in a six-hour, in-person workshop. The workshop centered on a curriculum for Mflow, a flow-based programming platform for making music and organizing sounds, and was structured to provide teachers with both practical experience and strategies for incorporating M-flow into their classrooms. Our survey results revealed increases across three key dimensions: self-efficacy, interest, and attitudes. Before the workshop, none of the teachers had any experience teaching CS, and six reported not feeling confident in their ability to teach programming. However, after the workshop, all ten teachers expressed increased confidence in teaching programming, addressing student issues, and learning new programming concepts on their own. Moreover, interest in programming also grew, with teachers reporting increased interest in learning more about programming and integrating it into their teaching practices. Lastly, they showed a stronger belief in the importance of programming for their professional development and their roles as educators. The findings highlight how flow-based music programming influences teachers' learning and interest in CS careers by boosting their confidence and improving their willingness and professional growth to integrate CS into their classrooms. This work is funded by National Science Foundation the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program.