Programming Language Concepts Research Articles

Use of the Alice Visual Programming Environment in Programming Education : A Descriptive Case Study

The process of learning a programming language is seen as complicated, especially for those who first start to learn programming language. For this reason, visual programming tools have begun to be used in educational environments. Visual programming tools purpose to concretize abstract programming language concepts. Alice program is one of the visual programming tools. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of the Alice program on programming learning in the education environment. The study group was 18 freshman students enrolled in the Object Based Programming I course at the vocational school computer technology department. The study lasted 8 weeks, with 4 hours each week. The teaching was realized on Gagne’s nine events of instruction model. At the end of the teaching process, two focus group interviews were conducted with the students to determine the obstructing and facilitating factors in using the Alice program. This study was utilized a descriptive case study. The data were analyzed by using the content analysis. When the results were examined; It was seen that the Alice program makes learning the basic code concepts easy and understanding programming logic, and increases the desire to learn programming. However, it was stated that the practicality of writing code could not be improved because code could not be written in the Alice program. It is thought that employing the Alice program is beneficial for enhancing comprehension of programming logic.

Using Tello quadcopters when studying the course "Introduction to programming in Python"

The article discusses the capabilities of Tello educational quadcopters and their use in Python programming classes. The topics of modules that are recommended to be studied using quadcopters are given. When describing the modules, the basic concepts of the Python programming language, the features of its use in conjunction with quadcopter DJI Tello, safety precautions when working with a quadcopter, and its structure are considered. The concepts of an algorithm, its properties, and the main types of algorithms are described. The emphasis is on the consideration of a linear algorithm; examples of the implementation of linear algorithms for autonomous flight are given, as well as examples of programs for obtaining information from on-board sensors. Possible examples of tasks that can be offered to students when studying each module are considered. The article is intended for informatics teachers, students of pedagogical universities, and additional education teachers.

A replication study on the intuitiveness of programming language syntax

In this article, we present a replication of an empirical experiment that evaluates intuitiveness and comprehensibility of keywords relating to different concepts in programming languages, originally conducted by Stefik and Gellenbeck. Novice programmers face many barriers when learning programming. One of these barriers is syntax, which for many languages is not designed based on empirical evidence. The purpose of the experiment was to provide more empirical evidence on the subject, to find out if the results of the original experiment can be replicated and if conducting the experiment in an environment where English is not the native language affects the results. The results of our experiment replicated most of the findings of the original study and provided further evidence that some syntactic choices in many popular programming languages are unintuitive for novice programmers. Our results suggest that the native language of participants who otherwise had good English skills had little effect when compared to the original study. These results may support programming language designers in making evidence-based design decisions and teachers of introductory programming courses in identifying some of the barriers novice programmers face.

Gamification Approach for Making Online Education as Effective as In-Person Education in Learning Programming Concepts

Gamification is a contemporary concept. It is defined as using game elements such as points and badges in a nongaming environment. This paper takes a profound look at gamification methods in an academic study and comes out with a gamification approach in an attempt to make education more effective. To test the approach described in this research, an experiment was conducted by dividing 46 students in a C++ programming class at a high school into two groups; the first is In-person learning group, in which students learn through the traditional classroom method. The second group is Gamification-based group, for which the researcher designed and built a specific gamification platform by following the guidelines presented in this research study. The results analysis proved that the level of motivation and engagement in the lesson was sufficient. Furthermore, the result of the relationship analysis between variables points and the leaderboard has a strong correlation of r= -0.897 and p<0.01. Another relationship that was analyzed is Points and Concepts attempts. This relationship positively affected student motivation and quality of learning with a moderate correlation of r=0.450 and p<0.05. Regarding the questionnaire analysis results, students preferred the Leaderboard by 60.9 %, Points by 21.7 %, Levels by 13 %, and Badges by 4.3%. As for the interview conducted with teachers specialized in teaching C++, they encouraged the exploitation of the gamification approach in learning programming language concepts, and from their point of view that this approach helps to increase the motivation and engagement of students in the lesson. Further research is needed to improve this approach to learning by designing rules and guidelines to bridge the gap with other gamification approaches.

Evaluation of design pattern alternatives in Java

AbstractDesign patterns are standard solutions to common design problems. The famous Gang of Four book describes more than twenty design patterns for the object‐oriented paradigm. These patterns were developed more than twenty‐five years ago, using the programming language concepts available at that time. Patterns do not always fit underlying domain concepts. For example, even when a concrete strategy is a pure function, the classical strategy pattern represents this as a separate subclass and as such obscures the intent of this pattern with extra complexities due to the inheritance‐based implementation. Due to the ongoing development of oo‐languages, a relevant question is whether the implementation of these patterns can be improved using new language features, such that they fit more closely with the intent. An additional question is then how we can decide which implementation is to be preferred. In this article, we investigate both questions, using the strategy pattern as an example. Our main contribution is that we show how to reason about different implementations, using both the description of a design pattern and design principles as guidance.

Studies in object-oriented programming backbone implementations

This work is a combination of conceptual and hands on based study aimed at laying a foundation for practical Object-Oriented software construction. First it presents a conceptual study of a number of backbone concepts of modern Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) languages. Secondly, it attempts to demonstrate real-life implementations of these concepts using Python Programming Language. This work touches on practical issues on Class and Object Creation, especially on the syntax and creation, and demystifies the subject matter using a simple table of rules. The OOP concept of Inheritance was studied, with focus on the three major types of inheritance. The self-argument, and constructors were studied, with focus on the three constructors - default, parameterized, and non-parameterized constructors. A brief discussion, and pictorial illustration was also made on the disparity between normal mathematical functions and OOP method calls. Further areas of studies are the concept of overriding between the parent and child class, as well as the OOP puzzle commonly known as Diamond Problem, including code segment and diagrammatic illustration of Python-based solutions. There are a number of other back-bone concepts in OOP not covered in this study, such as Encapsulation, Abstraction, Meta-Programming, among others, which will form areas of focus in future studies. Effort was made to enhance the overall presentation through practical illustrations using source codes, annotated diagrams, and discussions. It is hoped that this work will be very useful to researchers and other practitioners in Object Oriented implementations.

Securing Interruptible Enclaved Execution on Small Microprocessors

Computer systems often provide hardware support for isolation mechanisms such as privilege levels, virtual memory, or enclaved execution. Over the past years, several successful software-based side-channel attacks have been developed that break, or at least significantly weaken, the isolation that these mechanisms offer. Extending a processor with new architectural or micro-architectural features brings a risk of introducing new software-based side-channel attacks. This article studies the problem of extending a processor with new features without weakening the security of the isolation mechanisms that the processor offers. Our solution is heavily based on techniques from research on programming languages. More specifically, we propose to use the programming language concept of full abstraction as a general formal criterion for the security of a processor extension. We instantiate the proposed criterion to the concrete case of extending a microprocessor that supports enclaved execution with secure interruptibility. This is a very relevant instantiation, as several recent papers have shown that interruptibility of enclaves leads to a variety of software-based side-channel attacks. We propose a design for interruptible enclaves and prove that it satisfies our security criterion. We also implement the design on an open-source enclave-enabled microprocessor and evaluate the cost of our design in terms of performance and hardware size.

An Overviuw Of The Teaching And Learning Process Basic Programming In Algorithm And Programming Courses

In this paper, we review the literature related to computer programming learning, where Algorithms and Programming are the topic domains of the Informatics and Computer science clusters. There are 4 competencies in learning outcomes, such as: 1) understand algorithmic concepts; 2) master algorithm concepts and principles; 3) master programming language concepts; and 4) master programming languages and algorithms. The main focus of this review is on beginner programming and topics related to student difficulties in learning programming. Various problems experienced by beginners were identified from the literature to some of the solutions offered by researchers.

Cons-free Programs and Complexity Classes between LOGSPACE and PTIME

Programming language concepts are used to give some new perspectives on a long-standing open problem: is logspace = ptime ?

ANALISIS PERSEPSI DAN HUBUNGAN PRESTASI BELAJAR MATEMATIKA DENGAN PRESTASI BAHASA PEMROGRAMAN

Mathematics is the basis before learning coding-based courses. This type of research is quantitative descriptive. Sample of 110 informatics engineering students. The results of the study showed a significant association of learning outcomes in mathematics with the achievement of learning programming languages. The magnification coefficient of 0.663 has a moderate and positive meaning. The contribution of mathematics in explaining programming languages ​​is 43.97% and the remaining 56.03% is accepted by other variables. Students' perceptions of mathematics and programming languages ​​consist of four levels of understanding, namely the five senses, analysis, interpretation and evaluation. Every level of dimension. On the sensory dimension of 31.9% mathematics has a close relationship with programming languages. In the dimensions of analysis and interpretation, the value of the percentage of perceptions that are almost the same namely 21.24% and 21.14% associate mathematical concepts with the concepts of programming languages. In the evaluation dimension of 20.6%, it shows that in programming languages, students need information other than mathematics, namely the purpose of the programming language that is being designed.
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JAVA and DART programming languages: conceptual comparison

<p>This paper elaborates on the concepts of a new programming language “Dart”, which has been developed by Google and considered for future use. Here, we compare it to the most famous, real time, and updated language “Java”. This is to define similarities and differences between the two important languages, explain programs’ behavior, with a focus on investigating alternative implementation strategies and problem definitions. We used programming languages’ concepts and terminologies to compare between the main characteristics of the two languages, Dart & Java.</p>

Implementation of mobile game-transformed lecture-based approach to promoting C programming language learning

Many studies have utilised the potential of mobile games to promote students' learning performance, while few have transformed compiler working steps into mobile games. In this paper, the researchers developed a mobile game by simulating the C compiler working steps with daily life situations. Afterward, the researchers applied a lecture-based learning approach to implementing the game in a Thai university C programming language course. The group implemented a mobile game-transformed lecture-based approach by comparing it to conventional lecture-based approach and mobile game approach. The findings of this study support the notion that students can better achieve the C programming language concept through a mobile game, especially when integrated with the process of lecture-based approach. The findings of this study also highlight the mobile game-transformed lecture-based approach support the students'motivation to learn the C programming language.

Implementing a Library for Probabilistic Programming Using Non-strict Non-determinism

AbstractThis paper presentsPFLP, a library for probabilistic programming in the functional logic programming language Curry. It demonstrates how the concepts of a functional logic programming language support the implementation of a library for probabilistic programming. In fact, the paradigms of functional logic and probabilistic programming are closely connected. That is, language characteristics from one area exist in the other and vice versa. For example, the concepts of non-deterministic choice and call-time choice as known from functional logic programming are related to and coincide with stochastic memoization and probabilistic choice in probabilistic programming, respectively. We will further see that an implementation based on the concepts of functional logic programming can have benefits with respect to performance compared to a standard list-based implementation and can even compete with full-blown probabilistic programming languages, which we illustrate by several benchmarks.

How to prove decidability of equational theories with second-order computation analyser SOL

Abstract We present a general methodology of proving the decidability of equational theory of programming language concepts in the framework of second-order algebraic theories. We propose a Haskell-based analysis tool, i.e. Second-Order Laboratory, which assists the proofs of confluence and strong normalisation of computation rules derived from second-order algebraic theories. To cover various examples in programming language theory, we combine and extend both syntactical and semantical results of the second-order computation in a non-trivial manner. We demonstrate how to prove decidability of various algebraic theories in the literature. It includes the equational theories of monad and λ-calculi, Plotkin and Power’s theory of states and bits, and Stark’s theory of π-calculus. We also demonstrate how this methodology can solve the coherence of monoidal categories.

Scaffolding computer programming languages learning with tailored English vocabulary based on learners' performance states

Due to the ubiquitous nature of mobile devices, they are now considered as an emerging platform for facilitating both teaching and learning experiences. In this paper, we presented a tailored mobile learning system, namely the Integrated English and Programming Language Learning System (IEPLS), which aims at learning English vocabulary before studying programming language concepts. The IEPLS supports programming language learning in three ways; (a) Recommending to learn specific English vocabulary used in programming language concepts (b) Adaptation to the learning flow of the learner and (c) Motivating and encouraging learners to learn items based on individual learner's performance. The IEPLS was used by one hundred and fifty undergraduate students for six months. Evaluation results revealed the attainment of IEPLS in supporting learners in learning programming languages backed by precise English vocabulary.

How to prove your calculus is decidable: practical applications of second-order algebraic theories and computation

We present a general methodology of proving the decidability of equational theory of programming language concepts in the framework of second-order algebraic theories. We propose a Haskell-based analysis tool SOL, Second-Order Laboratory, which assists the proofs of confluence and strong normalisation of computation rules derived from second-order algebraic theories. To cover various examples in programming language theory, we combine and extend both syntactical and semantical results of second-order computation in a non-trivial manner. We demonstrate how to prove decidability of various algebraic theories in the literature. It includes the equational theories of monad and lambda-calculi, Plotkin and Power's theory of states, and Stark's theory of pi-calculus.

Evaluating code‐based test input generator tools

SummaryIn recent years, several tools have been developed to automatically select test inputs from the code of the system under test. However, each of these tools has different advantages, and there is a little detailed feedback available on the actual capabilities of the various tools. To evaluate test input generators, this paper collects a set of programming language concepts that should be handled by the tools and maps these core concepts and challenging features like handling the environment or multi‐threading to 363 code snippets, respectively. These snippets would serve as inputs for the tools. Next, the paper presents SETTE, an automated framework to execute and evaluate these snippets. Using SETTE, multiple experiments were performed on five Java and one .NET‐based tools using symbolic execution, search‐based, and random techniques. The test suites' coverage, size, generation time, and mutation score were compared. The results highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each tool and approach and identify hard code parts that are difficult to tackle for most of the tools. We hope that this research could serve as actionable feedback to tool developers and help practitioners assess the readiness of test input generation.

Optimizing R language execution via aggressive speculation

The R language, from the point of view of language design and implementation, is a unique combination of various programming language concepts. It has functional characteristics like lazy evaluation of arguments, but also allows expressions to have arbitrary side effects. Many runtime data structures, for example variable scopes and functions, are accessible and can be modified while a program executes. Several different object models allow for structured programming, but the object models can interact in surprising ways with each other and with the base operations of R. R works well in practice, but it is complex, and it is a challenge for language developers trying to improve on the current state-of-the-art, which is the reference implementation -- GNU R. The goal of this work is to demonstrate that, given the right approach and the right set of tools, it is possible to create an implementation of the R language that provides significantly better performance while keeping compatibility with the original implementation. In this paper we describe novel optimizations backed up by aggressive speculation techniques and implemented within FastR, an alternative R language implementation, utilizing Truffle -- a JVM-based language development framework developed at Oracle Labs. We also provide experimental evidence demonstrating effectiveness of these optimizations in comparison with GNU R, as well as Renjin and TERR implementations of the R language.

IslayTouch: an educational visual programming environment for tablet devices

Educational programming languages are programming languages that have been designed for users without programming experience, with the purpose of teaching them the skill of logical thinking or as an introduction to regular programming languages. Although these languages are relatively easier for beginners, difficult concepts of regular programming languages are still being introduced into some of them. As a new approach to this problem, an educational visual programming environment called Islay has been developed, in which the concept of state-transition diagram is used to compose a program. As a result, Islay becomes even easier for beginners than some other educational programming languages. In this research, a new version of Islay is developed as an Android application, with more features being added and a new user interface that is suitable for tablet devices.

Designing and Teaching of Language Independent Object Oriented Programming Course

Programming Languages play a crucial role in developing any software applications. Academicians and IT professionals give more priority for mastering many programming languages. Learning many language syntax and constructs will not contribute much in building problem solving skills. For any given task, students should be capable of solving it by using any of the programming languages. More importantly, students should build an art of optimizing the performance of the application by applying fundamental and advanced concepts of programming languages. In this paper, we propose an innovative way of designing and teaching of Object Oriented Programming Concepts without sticking to one particular language. In our first attempt, we practiced teaching of this course with two languages namely, C++ and Java. Our experimental results and students feedback prove the effectiveness of designing and teaching of Language independent Object Oriented Programming course. Moreover, it develops the skills of implementing and applying object oriented concepts using any object programming language.