Learning to program hands-on: a controlled study

Abstract

Knowledge of computer programming is increasingly important in society. Many countries have introduced programming into the school curriculum. Programming students’ learning has been studied from many perspectives, one being the importance of students working hands-on with programming problems. The explanations and underlying factors for this are however less researched. In a controlled study with upper secondary school students (n=53) learning basic Java programming for three hours, we studied how factors like learning outcome, engagement, motivation, stress, and long-term memory are affected by hands-on and hands-off learning respectively. Students worked in pairs to solve programming problems. In each pair, one student was randomly selected to write the code hands-on, while the other student contributed hands-off. The roles did not switch during the session. We used tests and questionnaires to assess the learning outcome and some other aspects of relevance for learning. Statistical analysis of the results showed that working hands-on reduced stress. There was no difference in knowledge gain immediately after the teaching, but the hands-on group did slightly better on a follow-up test one week later. The results are discussed in relation to research about, e.g., stress, long-term learning, and novices learning to program.