Conceptual Representation of the Source-Code to Support the Learning of Object-Oriented Programming Concepts

Abstract

Learning Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) concepts is a challenging task for novice learners. Previous research has examined the impact of either conceptual or practical knowledge on students’ comprehension of OOP; however, there is a lack of integration between these two knowledge bases. This study proposes a novel approach that integrates theoretical and practical knowledge of OOP using a concept map to create a unified cognitive diagram that reflects the educator’s understanding of the subject matter. This diagram is then used as the basis for a recomposition activity that supports student learning. An experiment is conducted in a classroom environment with 75 undergraduate grade-2 university students to investigate the effects of the proposed method. The experimental results showed that the proposed method significantly improved students’ comprehension of OOP concepts, doubling their performance compared to the conventional method from pre-test to post-test. In addition, the proposed approach has the potential for early identification of low-performing students, thus allowing educators to provide targeted support to improve their learning outcomes. The integrated cognitive diagram approach proposed in this study has practical implications for educators seeking to improve the teaching of OOP concepts and identify and support low-performing students.