Learning Style, Metaphor and Pair Programming: Do they Influence Performance?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of learning style preference on learning C++ language, especially i n terms of the quality of codes written and the number of errors made in programming. A total of 120 computing students were involved in this seven-week study. They were randomly assigned to either a group that received the metaphor with pair programming (MPP), to another group that received pair programming (PP) only, or to a third group that received only the metaphor instruction (MI). Participants in both the MPP and PP groups worked in pairs based on the visual-verbal learning style dimension, and those in the MI group worked individually when completing programming tasks. Two computer programming coursework were used to measure the student's coding performance. The results indicated that visual students in the MPP group performed significantly better in the quality of codes and made fewer mistakes during coding than those in the PP and MI groups. Also, the MPP method did help the verbal students to excel in C++ coding as compared to the PP and MI groups. The direct correlation was observed between their quality of codes and the number of errors. Metaphors helped the visual students in developing deeper conceptual understanding by linking the known to the newly acquired concepts. In pair programming approach, the verbal students developed better understanding through peer discussions. The understanding of individual learning style is needed in order to enhance coding performance as robustness of a programme is correlated with the accuracy of statements in the programming.