The global push to expand K-12 computing education raises questions about how to integrate computing meaningfully into disciplinary curricula. This doctoral research investigates how programming computational models can support students' engagement with computing concepts and practices while supporting learning in science and engineering. The work is grounded in computational literacies, which frame computing as a form of reading, writing, critique, and expression, and leverages agent-based modeling (ABM) to help learners reason about complex systems. A central design challenge for K-12 modeling tools is balancing accessibility for novices with opportunities for deeper computational engagement. Domain-specific, block-based ABM environments lower entry barriers but often hide underlying computational structures, limiting learners' agency. This research explores block unpacking, a feature that allows students to progressively open and adapt the internal logic of pre-built domain-specific primitives, to address this tension. Two studies structure the dissertation. The first analyzes sixth-grade classrooms in California where students programmed diffusion models using MoDa, a domain-specific, block- and agent-based environment. Through learning analytics and qualitative interaction analysis, I characterize students' design moves and problem-solving strategies during model construction. The second study uses a design-based research approach with Brazilian high school students, co-designing a four-session curricular unit on eutrophication. This unit leverages block unpacking to invite learners to modify computational structures while reasoning about interdisciplinary scientific phenomena. Findings aim to produce empirically grounded design principles for modeling environments and curricular materials that balance usability and depth, supporting computational literacies and the meaningful integration of computing into STEM education.

Brazil has recently advanced efforts to integrate computing into K-12 education through new national standards. This movement creates opportunities but also raises challenges about how computing can connect meaningfully to other subjects. One promising approach is to design learning experiences where students build computational artifacts to reason about disciplinary concepts. This poster reports early results from a multi-year collaboration with Brazilian teachers to integrate computing into middle-school History and Geography. Through co-design sessions and classroom trials with more than 20 teachers, we explored ways to enrich disciplinary inquiry while keeping computing aligned with local curriculum goals. A key outcome is the identification of four ''objects-to-think-with'' — tangible artifacts that anchor social studies concepts and computing practices. These include computational graphs to compare historical revolts, interactive maps for testing alternative regionalizations of the Americas, a classroom meteorological station for monitoring local climate data, and interactive chatbots that present reimagined medieval timelines. Each object bridges disciplinary reasoning with computing ideas such as modeling, data representation, and visualization. We outline the co-design process that led to these objects and illustrate their classroom use, offering a practical strategy for teachers seeking to implement Brazil's new computing standards in authentic ways.

Programming computational models is a key practice that supports both scientific and computational learning. Block-based, domain-specific programming environments have made this practice more accessible but may constrain what students can design compared to general-purpose or text-based languages. This poster reports on the classroom use of block unpacking—a feature that allows high-level primitives to be opened, inspected, and modified—within a domain-specific modeling environment. We implemented unpacking in a four-day high school biology unit on eutrophication, where students programmed models to represent interactions among algae, bacteria, fish, nutrients, and oxygen. From the 16 students who participated, we analyzed 36 unpacking modifications made by five focal students, classifying each as a parameter change or a code structure change, and examining whether these modifications were informed by scientific reasoning. Our findings show that unpacking let students move beyond fixed domain-specific primitives, producing diverse and more expressive models. Some introduced new mechanisms, such as photosynthesis, while others focused on optimizing or debugging simulations. Importantly, more complex edits did not always correspond to deeper scientific reasoning. This study highlights unpacking as a mid-level design strategy that can expand student agency and flexibility in block-based modeling. We discuss implications for designing programming environments and instructional supports that balance ease of entry with opportunities to engage meaningfully in computing practices.

Current research on immersive technologies has widely described their application in K-12 settings, with evidence of their goals, approaches, and potential to enhance learning. However, there is a dearth of studies describing those technologies being used as authoring tools by students. This paper investigates how K-12 students apply virtual and augmented reality technologies as tools for designing experiments and solutions for their science and engineering projects. Study 1 analyzed 12 projects presented at a FEBRACE national science fair between 2015 and 2020 and Study 2 investigated, via an online questionnaire, the motivations and challenges from students who worked on those projects. Results include the context in which the projects were developed, motivation for using virtual and augmented reality technologies, fields in which they were applied, and types of software and hardware used. Findings inform how future research can build on those experiences to integrate immersive technologies in K-12 education.