A study for determining computer programming students’ attitudes towards programming and their programming self-efficacy / Bilgisayar programcılığı öğrencilerinin programlamaya karşı tutum ve programlama öz-yeterliklerinin belirlenmesine yönelik bir çalı

Abstract

This study aimed at examining computer programming students’ attitudes towards programming and their programming self-efficacy as well as the relationship between them. The study was conducted in a university located in the north of Turkey in the spring semester of the 2013-2014 academic year. The research sample consisted of 325 students studying in three different Computer Programming programs of the Department of Computer Technologies affiliated to a vocational school of the above-mentioned university. The Attitude Scale toward Computer Programming (AStCP) and the Computer Programming Self-Efficacy Inventory (CPSEI) were used for data collection. The descriptive survey model was employed in the study. The data obtained in the study were analyzed via the Mann Whitney U-test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Spearman Brown rho correlation coefficient. The research results indicated that the students generally had positive attitudes towards computer programming, and they had a medium-level programming self-efficacy. The attitudes of the students towards programming varied statistically significantly by gender, grade, and education type. Similarly, programming self-efficacy varied statistically by the aforementioned three variables. Finally, a positive medium relationship was found between the students’ attitudes towards programming and their self-efficacy.