Frame-Based Editing: Easing the Transition from Blocks to Text-Based Programming

Block-based programming systems, such as Scratch or Alice, are the most popular environments for introducing young children to programming. However, mastery of text-based programming continues to be the educational goal for stu- dents who continue to program into their teenage years and beyond. Transitioning across the significant gap between the two editing styles presents a difficult challenge in school- level teaching of programming. We propose a new style of program manipulation to bridge the gap: frame-based edit- ing. Frame-based editing has the resistance to errors and approachability of block-based programming while retaining the flexibility and more conventional programming seman- tics of text-based programming languages. In this paper, we analyse the issues involved in the transition from blocks to text and argue that they can be overcome by using frame- based editing as an intermediate step. A design and imple- mentation of a frame-based editor is provided

Adolescents and youth with disability: issues and challenges

Globally, almost 180 million young people between the ages of 10-24 live with a physical, sensory, intellectual or mental health disability significant enough to make a difference in their daily lives. The vast majority of these young people, some 150 million (80%) live in the developing world. Routinely excluded from most educational, economic, social and cultural opportunities, they are among the poorest and most marginalised of all the world’s young people. This paper reviews issues that must be considered in assessing the needs of disabled young people and urges the inclusion of this all too frequently overlooked group in all international development policies and programming

Constructing hope: a multi-agency programme model for young sex offenders living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa

Many young sex offenders in South Africa have HIV/AIDS. This fact both complicates and underlines the importance of delivering effective multi-agency sex offender programmes to these individuals. Reducing reoffending rates is of obvious importance, as stopping these young offenders from offending also means limiting the spread of HIV to new victims. We are proposing an integrative programme that incorporates proven models of sex offender treatment in combination with medical, educational and family support systems to facilitate community reintegration of young sex offenders living with HIV/AIDS. It is our hope to work in partnership with the Department of Correctional Services in South Africa to facilitate such programming in the near future

Creating good feelings about unhealthy food: children’s televised ‘advertised diet’ on the island of Ireland, in a climate of regulation

Childhood eating habits and associations with advertising persist through life. Obesity is high in Ireland, and is increasing worldwide. Links between food promotion and children’s diets are well-established, and the World Health Organisation has called for reduced marketing of foods high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) to children. In Ireland and the UK, statutory regulation restricts HFSS television advertising, but only during children’s programming – yet children view much television at other times. This study is the first to identify young children’s exposure to television food advertising on the island of Ireland (IoI), and its nature, with systematic sampling according to Irish audience panel research. Food advertisements were nutrient profiled and content analyses were conducted of marketing techniques. The IoI ‘advertised diet’ viewed by young children primarily features dairy and fast foods, pizza, sweets and chocolate, normalising this consumption and associating it with taste/aroma, fun, magic/ imagination, physical activity, humour and exaggerated pleasure. HFSS ads primarily featured taste/aroma, humour and novelty. Despite complying with statutory regulations, more than half of IoI food advertisements featured HFSS items; young children see over 1000 HFSS ads annually in the Republic of Ireland, nearly 700 in Northern Ireland. Policy implications for remedying children’s HFSS ad exposure include (i) applying food advertising restrictions to times when higher proportions of young children watch television – not just child-directed programming – as well as to digital media, (ii) employing a stricter nutrient profiling method and (iii) normalising children’s ‘advertised diet’ by exploring ways to advertise healthy foods

DNA Computing by Self-Assembly

Information and algorithms appear to be central to biological organization and processes, from the storage and reproduction of genetic information to the control of developmental processes to the sophisticated computations performed by the nervous system. Much as human technology uses electronic microprocessors to control electromechanical devices, biological organisms use biochemical circuits to control molecular and chemical events. The engineering and programming of biochemical circuits, in vivo and in vitro, would transform industries that use chemical and nanostructured materials. Although the construction of biochemical circuits has been explored theoretically since the birth of molecular biology, our practical experience with the capabilities and possible programming of biochemical algorithms is still very young

The ABC of Pair Programming: Gender-dependent Attitude, Behavior and Code of Young Learners

Young learners are increasingly introduced to programming, and one of the main challenges for educators is to achieve learning success while also creating enthusiasm. As it is particularly difficult to achieve this enthusiasm initially in young females, prior work has identified gender-specific differences in the programming behavior of young learners. Since pair programming, which turns programming into a more sociable activity, has been proposed as an approach to support programming education, in this paper we aim to investigate whether similar gender-specific characteristics can also be observed during pair programming. Therefore, we designed a gender-neutral introductory SCRATCH programming course tailored for integrating pair programming principles, and conducted it with a total of 139 students aged between 8 and 14 years. To identify gender-dependent differences and similarities, we measure the attitude towards programming and the course setting, observe the behavior of the students while programming, and analyze the code of the programs for different gender-combinations. Overall, our study demonstrates that pair programming is well suited for young learners and results in a positive attitude. While the resulting programs are similar in quality and complexity independent of gender, differences are evident when it comes to the compliance to pair programming roles, the exploration of code, and the creative customization of programs. These findings contribute to an in-depth understanding of social and technical gender specifics of pair programming, and provide educators with resources and guidance for implementing gender-sensitive pair programming in the classroom

Bug-Fixing and Code-Writing: The Private Provision of Open Source Software

Open source software (OSS) is a public good. A self-interested individual would consider providing such software, if the benefits he gained from having it justified the cost of programming. Nevertheless each agent is tempted to free ride and wait for others to develop the software instead. This problem is modelled as a war of attrition with complete information, job signaling, repeated contribution to the public good and uncertainty in programming. The resulting game does not feature any delay: software will be provided swiftly, by young, low-cost individuals who gain considerably by signaling their programming skills; the startup (and collapse) of an OSS project displays bandwagon dynamics.open source software, war of attrition, public goods

Adolescent Sexual Health and the Dynamics of Oppression: A Call for Cultural Competency

This paper encourages those who work with youth to understand the impact of prejudice and discrimination on vulnerable adolescents, to assess and address their needs, and to build on their assets. In prevention programming, it is essential to empower young participants by involving them in all aspects of designing and running programs for youth. It is equally essential to provide culturally appropriate interventions, with culturally competent adult and youth staff

Visual and Textual Programming Languages: A Systematic Review of the Literature

It is well documented, and has been the topic of much research, that Computer Science courses tend to have higher than average drop out rates at third level. This is a problem that needs to be addressed with urgency but also caution. The required number of Computer Science graduates is growing every year but the number of graduates is not meeting this demand and one way that this problem can be alleviated is to encourage students at an early age towards studying Computer Science courses. This paper presents a systematic literature review on the role of visual and textual programming languages when learning to program, particularly as a first programming language. The approach is systematic, in that a structured search of electronic resources has been conducted, and the results are presented and quantitatively analysed. This study will give insight into whether or not the current approaches to teaching young learners programming are viable, and examines what we can do to increase the interest and retention of these students as they progress through their education.Comment: 18 pages (including 2 bibliography pages), 3 figure