The Efficacy of a Low-Level Program Visualization Tool for Teaching Programming Concepts to Novice C Programmers

Abstract

It is widely agreed that learning to program is difficult. Program visualization tools make visible aspects of program execution which are often hidden from the user. While several program visualization tools aimed at novice programmers have been developed over the past decade there is little empirical evidence showing that novices actually benefit from their use [1]. In this article we describe a “Glass-box Interpreter” called Bradman. An experiment is presented which tests the efficacy of Bradman in assisting novice programmers learn programming concepts. We show that students that used the glass-box interpreter achieved greater understanding of some programming concepts than those without access. We also give evidence that the student's ability to assimilate new concepts was enhanced by exposure to the glass-box interpreter. This is experimental confirmation that such tools are beneficial in helping novices learn programming.