Introductory programming: a systematic literature review

As computing becomes a mainstream discipline embedded in the school curriculum and acts as an enabler for an increasing range of academic disciplines in higher education, the literature on introductory programming is growing. Although there have been several reviews that focus on specific aspects of introductory programming, there has been no broad overview of the literature exploring recent trends across the breadth of introductory programming. This paper is the report of an ITiCSE working group that conducted a systematic review in order to gain an overview of the introductory programming literature. Partitioning the literature into papers addressing the student, teaching, the curriculum, and assessment, we explore trends, highlight advances in knowledge over the past 15 years, and indicate possible directions for future research

Novice Learner Experiences in Software Development: A Study of Freshman Undergraduates

This paper presents a study that is part of a larger research project aimed at addressing the gap in the provision of educational software development processes for freshman, novice undergraduate learners, to improve proficiency levels. With the aim of understanding how such learners problem solve in software development in the absence of a formal process, this case study examines the experiences and depth of learning acquired by a sample set of novice undergraduates. A novel adaption of the Kirkpatrick framework known as AKM-SOLO is used to frame the evaluation. The study finds that without the scaffolding of an appropriate structured development process tailored to novices, students are in danger of failing to engage with the problem solving skills necessary for software development, particularly the skill of designing solutions prior to coding. It also finds that this lack of engagement directly impacts their affective state on the course and continues to negatively impact their proficiency and affective state in the second year of their studies leading to just under half of students surveyed being unsure if they wish to pursue a career in software development when they graduate

Identification and Evaluation of Predictors for Learning Success and of Models for Teaching Computer Programming in Contemporary Contexts

Introductory undergraduate computer programming courses are renowned for higher than average failure and withdrawal rates when compared to other subject areas. The closer partnership between higher education and the rapidly expanding digital technology industry, as demonstrated by the establishment of new Degree Apprenticeships in computer science and digital technologies, requires efficient and effective means for teaching programming skills. This research, therefore, aimed to identify reliable predictors of success in learning programming or vulnerability to failure. The research also aimed to evaluate teaching methods and remedial interventions towards recommending a teaching model that supported and engaged learners in contemporary contexts that were relevant to the workplace. Investigation of qualifications designed to prepare students for undergraduate computer science courses revealed that A-level entrants achieved significantly higher programming grades than BTEC students. However, there was little difference between the grades of those with and those without previous qualifications in computing or ICT subjects. Analysis of engagement metrics revealed a strong correlation between extent of co-operation and programming grade, in contrast to a weak correlation between programming grade and code understanding. Further analysis of video recordings, interviews and observational records distinguished between the type of communication that helped peers comprehend tasks and concepts, and other forms of communication that were only concerned with completing tasks. Following the introduction of periodic assessment, essentially converting a single final assessment to three staged summative assessment points, it was found that failing students often pass only one of the three assignment parts. Furthermore, only 10% of those who failed overall had attempted all three assignments. Reasons for failure were attributed to ‘surface’ motivations (such as regulating efforts to achieve a minimum pass of 40%), ineffective working habits or stressful personal circumstances rather than any fundamental difficulty encountered with subject material. A key contribution to pedagogical practice made by this research is to propose an ‘incremental’ teaching model. This model is informed by educational theory and empirical evidence and comprises short cycles of three activities: presenting new topic information, tasking students with a relevant exercise and then demonstrating and discussing the exercise solution. The effectiveness of this model is evidenced by increased engagement, increased quiz scores at the end of each teaching session and increased retention of code knowledge at the end of the course

Innovating Pedagogy 2015: Open University Innovation Report 4

This series of reports explores new forms of teaching, learning and assessment for an interactive world, to guide teachers and policy makers in productive innovation. This fourth report proposes ten innovations that are already in currency but have not yet had a profound influence on education. To produce it, a group of academics at the Institute of Educational Technology in The Open University collaborated with researchers from the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International. We proposed a long list of new educational terms, theories, and practices. We then pared these down to ten that have the potential to provoke major shifts in educational practice, particularly in post-school education. Lastly, we drew on published and unpublished writings to compile the ten sketches of new pedagogies that might transform education. These are summarised below in an approximate order of immediacy and timescale to widespread implementation

She is a computer scientist: a quantitative comparison between the effectiveness of game design studios and robotics at enhancing women\u27s learning of, self-efficacy in, attitudes toward, and domain identification with computer science

The underrepresentation of women in computer science is a serious issue with ramifications that affect not only women working in the field, but also the field at large and the national economy. While the problem is attributed to several interconnected causes, such as computer knowledge, experience, and familiarity; they do not tell the entire story, nor do they point to a global trend. Studies indicate that these factors did not stop the computer science field from achieving a balanced male-female ratio in non-western countries. Since no single factor can be attributed as the primary cause of this complicated problem, and in an effort to minimize the issue and move computer science in western countries closer toward an egalitarian model, the approach taken to enhance the representation of women in computer science needed to be multifaceted. The most common factors revealed in the literature as possible contributors to the problem were listed and categorized. Based on these factors, the study hypothesized a model (Amal’s Model) and tested its effectiveness at predicting students’ domain identifications with computer science. Following this, the study suggested and tested the impact of coupling constructionist gaming with studio pedagogy in a game design studio on students’, especially women’s, learning of, self-efficacy in, attitudes toward, and domain identifications with computer science. The results compared the implementation of the game design studio with robotics and traditional pedagogical practices. The participant body (N=94) was composed primarily of computer science majors and non-majors who were enrolled during the Fall 2017 semester. The research design included block randomization in order to make sure that the male-female ratio was relatively balanced across all of the groups. A pre-posttest experimental design was utilized to compare students’ learning of, self-efficacy in, attitudes toward, and domain identifications with computer science in three groups: game design studio, robotics and coding, and a control group, with special attention to any gender-based differences that were revealed during the study. The data were analyzed using statistical tests and results showed that Amal’s Model was significantly effective at predicting students’ (both men’s and women’s) domain identifications with computer science. The study showed that aspects of Amal’s Model, including students’ learning of, self-efficacy in, and attitudes toward computer science, were significant predictors of their computer domain identifications with the field. The results concluded that increasing women’s domain identifications with the field, to match domain identification levels held by men, would, in turn, encourage women to pursue a degree in the field. Results from the current study showed that the game design studio had a significant impact on students’ (both men’s and women’s) learning of, self-efficacy in, attitudes toward and domain identifications with computer science when compared with the control group. When robotics was added to the comparison, the game design studio was effective at improving students’ learning and attitudes, and significantly effective at improving their self-efficacy and domain identifications from the pre-test to the pos-test. Unlike the findings produced by several other studies conducted in this area, when students in the study were asked about the suitability of the field for women, the majority of women and men involved agreed that the field is suitable for women. In analyzing the results for apparent gender-related changes in students’ learning, self-efficacy, attitudes, and domain identifications from pre-test to the post-test, it was found that both teaching approaches were effective at improving men’s and women’s learning from the pretest to the post-test. Regardless of the differences between groups in men’s learning of, self-efficacy in, attitudes toward, and domain identification with the field, the differences were statistically insignificant across the groups. While women in the robotics and coding group had significantly higher self-efficacy beliefs than the control group, women in the game design studio showed significant improvements, not only in their self-efficacy, but in their learning, attitudes and domain identifications when compared with the control group. Even though women in the game design studio had slightly lower domain identification levels than men in the same group, they demonstrated the highest statistical improvement in their domain identification with computer science when compared to not only the control group, but also the robotics and coding group. The study demonstrated that women in the control group consistently had the lowest scores in their learning of, self-efficacy in, attitudes toward, and domain identifications with computer science. The results, including current findings and recommendations for enhancing the representation of women in computer science, and suggestions for future studies, were discussed in great detail

Learning fundamental programming concepts using the ‘To Be A Whale’ game, Case Study Report

This case study report presents teachers and students’ experiences of playing and coding using the ‘To be a Whale’ game. The study specifically evaluated the effectiveness of the ‘To be a Whale’ game for the teaching and learning of fundamental programming concepts. The focus was on both the programming constructions that the students used and the learning behaviours that they displayed, such as debugging, collaboration and resilience. Three secondary schools and one primary school based in England were included in the study. Student and teacher interviews, field observations and screen recording of student’s game making activities were used for data collection. The findings showed that the students learnt to create simple algorithms using sequences and selection. Collaboration between learners, constant conversation and resilience when they faced a problem was also visible during their game making sessions

Debugging: The Key to Unlocking the Mind of a Novice Programmer?

Novice programmers must master two skills to show lasting success: writing code and, when that fails, the ability to debug it. Instructors spend much time teaching the details of writing code but debugging gets significantly less attention. But what if teaching debugging could implicitly teach other aspects of coding better than teaching a language teaching debugging? This paper explores a new theoretical framework, the Theory of Applied Mind for Programming (TAMP), which merges dual process theory with Jerome Bruner’s theory of representations to model the mind of a programmer. TAMP looks to provide greater explanatory power in why novices struggle and suggest pedagogy to bridge gaps in learning. This paper will provide an example of this by reinterpreting debugging literature using TAMP as a theoretical guide. Incorporating new view theoretical viewpoints from old studies suggests a “debugging-first” pedagogy can supplement existing methods of teaching programming and perhaps fill some of the mental gaps TAMP suggests hamper novice programmers