A bevezető programozástanítás stratégiái

Abstract

The topic of my dissertation is introductory programming. My research focused on the following strategies in the teaching of computer programming: turtle graphics, robotics, animation and game-development, and in addition, I also examined the text-based and the block-based programming, which are both typical of instructional programming languages. During my research I used the methods of action research and case study. I. Teaching programming with turtle graphics is more popular than with mathematics among the 5–8 grade participants of Hungarian programming contests. In order to prove the thesis, I compared the number of applicants for two national programming contests in each year in the mentioned age groups. I found out that in each year significantly more students entered for the Logo National Computer Science Student Competition, which provides turtle graphics problems, than the Nemes Tihamér Competition, in which contestants solve mathematical problems. II. Using the problem types of turtle graphics, robotics, animation and game-development, problem-type oriented teaching plans can be compiled for the first eight grades which agree the national curricula. I exposed each strategy of teaching programming. The problem types and the solving methods of turtle graphics are presented in several Hungarian literatures, and my chapter on turtle graphics was composed using them, with no claim of being exhaustive. My chapters on robotics, animation and game-development including the presentations of the strategies, the problem types that are based on each other and the solving methods are parts of my own research findings. I compiled problem-type oriented teaching plans using the previously presented problem types for the first eight grades which agree the national curricula. III. Block-based programming languages facilitate programming for beginners, however, advanced students need to switch to text-based coding, which is possible in a fixed strategy of teaching programming. I proved the first two statements of the thesis by comparing the two types of coding based on the following aspects: syntactical correctness, readability, speed of coding, expanse and editing in external environments. The same two statements were reasoned by interviews, and statistics from the Logo National Computer Science Student Competition in 2017–2018. I proved the last part of the thesis by giving concrete examples.