Developing a source code reading tutorial system and analyzing its learning log data with multiple classification analysis

Abstract

To efficiently support novice programming learners who are feeling the programming difficult, clarifying the cause of preventing programming comprehension, and developing a new instruction method appropriate for their comprehension would be necessary. The objective of this paper is to develop a learning support system to facilitate the programming instruction through source code reading, which is also available for self-study and mini-examination. In addition, this paper aims to discover the unit of knowledge (knowledge module) which will obstruct an understanding for programming beginners. The developed system can automatically generate a source code of C programming language in which there is no particular meaning because the source codes as learning materials are generated randomly. The developed system was utilized in a programming class for novices. This paper obtained student answer log, after the students had completed one semester of the instruction, and analyzed the data. From the analysis result, the description which may make program reading comprehension difficult for a beginner was clarified.