Cognitive factors involved in the first stage of programming skill acquisition

Abstract

In this study we examined the relationship of general and specific cognitive abilities to programming skill acquisition. A sample of Air Force recruits was given a short computer-based tutorial on Pascal followed by a battery of computer-based tests assessing general abilities, e.g., working memory, reasoning, verbal knowledge, and specific abilities, e.g., components hypothesized to underlie algebra word problem solving. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that (1) working memory capacity, general reasoning, and verbal knowledge were distinguishable factors; and (2) three components underlie performance on the algebra word problem solving test, viz., problem type identification, decomposition and sequencing, and translation. These factors were then related to learning outcomes from the Pascal tutorial. Analyses indicated that algebra word problem translation skills added to more general abilities such as general reasoning, working memory, and verbal knowledge in predicting success in programming skill acquisition. The contribution of word problem translation skills was independent of these other abilities as well as independent of previous formal instruction in another programming language.