Programming Learning Environment Research Articles

The impact of a large language model-based programming learning environment on students’ motivation and programming ability

The impact of a large language model-based programming learning environment on students’ motivation and programming ability

Leveraging Language Models and Automatic Summarization in Online Programming Learning Environments

Leveraging Language Models and Automatic Summarization in Online Programming Learning Environments

Factors influencing Swedish grades 4–6 technology teachers’ choice of teaching and learning material in programming education

There is a recognized need to understand the current state of programming implementation in the Swedish compulsory school system. This study focused specifically on the implementation of programming in the school subject of technology for grades 4–6. In Sweden, the responsibility for choosing teaching and learning material lies with individual teachers. Recent studies have indicated the prevalence of visual programming languages (VPLs) in classrooms. However, no empirical research has specifically investigated why teachers select particular programming learning environments (PLEs) and the challenges they have overcome in this process. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the PLEs used by teachers and the factors influencing their choices. In addition, this study explored the role of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and the influence of systemic and situational amplifiers and filters in shaping the programming education landscape, highlighting the importance of understanding these factors for effective implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 experienced programming teachers in grades 4–6 to gather insights. The results revealed that VPLs, particularly Scratch, have been widely adopted, but the study also identified three textual programming languages being utilized. Furthermore, the findings indicate that teachers’ previous education plays a significant role in shaping their PLE preferences. This suggests that programming education in both professional development and preservice teacher training is crucial for effective implementation. By investigating PLE choices and the factors influencing them, this study contributes to a better understanding of the current landscape of programming education in Sweden’s compulsory school system.

Toward improving student motivation and performance in introductory programming learning by Scratch: The role of achievement emotions.

This study investigated the differences in programming novices' intrinsic motivation and performance within a Scratch-based programming learning environment using a pretest-posttest intervention design. Specifically, this study aimed to examine what and how achievement emotions were aroused to impact learners' academic success during Scratch implementation processes by employing regression analyses. One hundred and seventy-two undergraduates (Mage = 20.44, SDage = 1.09, 55.8% female) were voluntarily recruited to participate in a Scratch-based instruction workshop during a 6-week period. The workshop was structured with regard to preparation, Scratch-based programming learning and projects, and assessment activities and questionnaire implemented both before the instructional period and after the workshop. The results suggested that the Scratch-based intervention significantly increased students' overall motivation and examination performance. Concerning achievement emotions, the outcome emotion of hopelessness first negatively predicted students' motivation and performance. Anxiety then replaced hopelessness as a negative predictor, while enjoyment was the strongest predictor of motives and performance. Taking eight emotions together, the arousal of activity and outcome emotions within visual programming environments facilitated students' emotion dynamics that impacted motivation and performance. The discussion and contributions concerning the mechanism behind the effectiveness of visualization and the emotion-performance relationship are presented herein.

An interactive programming learning environment supporting paper computing and immediate evaluation for making thinking visible and traceable

ABSTRACT Computer programming is essential nowadays but still challenging to learn due to its invisible thinking. Current programming environments are mostly designed for operating on computers directly to learn concrete programming, but this approach lacks the support for clarifying learners’ thinking processes. On the other hand, using paper and pens shows usability in developing creative thinking, but it cannot help verify learners’ thinking results due to its nature. To benefit from both paper and computers, we developed an interactive programming learning environment consisting of a paper board game, a computer system, and a digitalization mechanism. Learners can use the learning environment to draw down their thinking results and verify them by comparing them with the evaluation on the computer system immediately. Two experiments were conducted to compare this learning environment with paper board games and computer programming environments, respectively. The experimental results show that the subjects who learn in our environment can learn to program better than those who learn with the other two. The proposed environment is easy to prepare for learners in a classroom as their first step to programming learning. It can help learners cross over from paper board games for computational thinking to computer programming environments.

Impacts of the interactive error prompt system on disadvantaged students’ programming learning

ABSTRACT In this study, an interactive programming learning environment was built with two types of error prompt functions: 1) the key prompt and 2) step-by-step prompt. A quasi-experimental study was conducted for five weeks, in which 75 sixth grade students from disadvantaged learning environments in Taipei, Taiwan, were divided into three groups: 1) the key prompt group, 2) the step-by-step prompt group, and 3) the group in which teachers explained the errors. The aim was to investigate the effects of different interactive methods on students’ learning in programming. The results showed that the step-by-step prompt group had better learning effectiveness, self-efficacy, and problem-solving ability than the key prompt group and the group with the teacher explaining the errors. Because the students from the disadvantaged learning environment were new to the graphical program, they had a low level of understanding of the program. The interactive learning environment with step-by-step prompt, as opposed to the key prompt, made it easier for disadvantaged students to understand the problems and think about their solutions.

Classification feature sets for source code plagiarism detection in Java

In programming learning environments, the pressure of delivering many programming assignments makes plagiarism the easiest solution. This highly threatens the learning process; therefore, the need of an automatic, fast, and accurate detection of source code plagiarism becomes essential. To detect whether a pair of Java files is plagiarized, this paper proposes four classification feature sets: (i) structural histogram features, histogram-based features for summarizing similarity matrices; (ii) lexical per-class features, extracted from a lexical similarity matrix between the classes of the two compared files based on character 3-grams; (iii) structural counting features, twelve counting features representing the code structure; and (iv) modified original features: a set of modifications on the features of the used baseline. The results show that the best feature sets in F-measure are the structural histogram features and the lexical per-class features combined, which improve the F-measure by 4% compared to the baseline. The added features slow down the execution time. However, it is still efficient, given that it can classify 70k pairs in 23 min. In addition, we partially re-annotated the SOurce COde Re-use dataset. After the re-annotation, the F-measure of both the baseline and our work is improved, and our work achieves an F-measure of 93.6%, which is 7.5% higher than the new F-measure of the baseline. In addition, some remarks and recommendations are provided for using the SOurce COde Re-use dataset as a benchmark.

Types of Errors in Block Programming: Driven by Learner, Learning Environment

Block programming has been suggested as a way of engaging young learners with the foundations of programming and computational thinking in a syntax-free manner. Indeed, syntax errors—which form one of two broad categories of errors in programming, the other one being logic errors—are omitted while block programming. However, this does not mean that errors are omitted at large in such environments. In this exploratory case study of a learning environment for early programming (Kodetu), we explored errors in block programming of middle school students ( N = 123), using log files drawn from a block-based online. Analyzing 1033 failed executions, we found that errors may be driven by either learners’ knowledge and behavior, or by the learning environment design. The rate of error types was not associated with the learners’ and contextual variables examined, with the exception of task complexity (as defined by SOLO taxonomy). Our findings highlight the importance of learning from errors and of learning environment design.

Game Design, Gender and Personalities in Programming Education

In a changing world programming learning is becoming more and more essential in education. And, there are many programming environments and teaching approaches that address the learning needs of students in CS education. A single programming tool or a method do not fit all students. Research has focused on gender differences and there is high interest in increasing female participation. Games and especially game-design tend to impact perceived usefulness of programming environments. Moreover, personality traits like cognitive style and emotional intelligence (EQ) seem to correlate with technology and achievement in programming. In this study, the effects of three different programming environments were investigated, in high school settings, by creating games and taking into account gender and personality characteristics. Three groups were formed, group A created games with Scratch, group B used App Inventor and made games for mobile devices, while group C created interactive stories-games with Alice 3D. This study was seeking to find possible biases based on gender, learning perception, usage and students' personalities between the three experimental conditions. One hundred and sixty three students aged 14–15 years old participated in the study, and data were collected through pre activity and post activity questionnaires. Results show different gender preferences for the three programming tools and, in some cases, different personalities (cognitive styles and EQ) have different learning preferences. Moreover, all programming environments had different emotional effects on the students. The study concludes with guidelines for programming learning environments that respect individual learning preferences and aim to maximize learning effectiveness.

Effect of Gamification on the Motivation of Computer Programming Students

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of computer-assisted gamification on the learning motivation of computer programming students. Background: The teaching-learning of computer programming involves challenges that imply using learning environments in which the student is actively involved. Gamification is an innovative approach that allows the creation of environments using game-related elements in order to increase the levels of participation, engagement, and motivation of the participants. Several studies have integrated gamification in academic contexts, where generally the qualitative results show remarkable effects in different aspects analyzed; however, there is still no consensus on the quantitative results presented in different investigations. For this reason, it is necessary to conduct more empirical studies in computer programming learning environments to better understand the impact of gamification on aspects such as students’ motivation to learn. Methodology: A quasi-experimental mixed explanatory study was designed and carried out in which a gamified tool was integrated into the methodology of an Intro-duction to computer programming course. Through a literature review and a comparative analysis, we selected CodeGym as the computer-assisted gamified environment suitable for integration into the activities of the course. Subsequently, we proposed an educational intervention where the instruments were applied to characterize the motivational construct by means of the self-report questionnaire MSLQ-Colombia and a survey of student opinion. The MSLQ-Colombia questionnaire characterizes distinctive features of students’ motivation to learn. This instrument was adapted and validated to Spanish based on the original MSLQ (Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire). Forty-eight students participated in this study, distributed in two control groups and one experimental group selected by means of a non-probabilistic convenience sampling technique. Contribution: The effects reported through this research provide empirical evidence related to the effect of computer-assisted gamification on students’ motivation to learn. The results contribute to understanding the effects that gamification can generate in the motivation of computer programming students. Findings: The quantitative results obtained through the MSLQ-Colombia showed that the students in the experimental group significantly increased the levels related to the motivational aspects of Task Valuation. The results obtained by the survey (quantitative and qualitative data) confirmed the quantitative effect found and, additionally, generated inputs related to other motivational aspects: the participants expressed that due to the development of the practical exercises proposed with CodeGym, they felt authentic desires to learn (Orientation of the study activities towards Intrinsic Goals), greater self-confidence to approach the learning tasks (Beliefs of Control of Learning), and better expectations to achieve their learning goals in the subject (Expectations of Self-Efficacy in Learning). Recommendations for Practitioners: The computer-assisted gamification generated a good reception by the students of Computer Programming, making the teaching-learning process pleasant and favoring the interest towards the topics generally considered as challenging. It is recommended that teachers in the area of computer programming continue adopting and using gamified tools that support and facilitate the appropriation of knowledge of their students in a dynamic and innovative way. Recommendation for Researchers: The empirical results reported in this study allow a better understanding of the real effects that gamification can have on programming students’ motivation to learn. However, there are still great challenges in trying to understand and generalize these findings. It would be interesting to deepen the results obtained by integrating gamification in environments where there are more participants and longitudinal studies where the impact is analyzed over time. Impact on Society: The results of this research showed that computer-assisted gamification generated a significant increase in the ratings related to the interest, importance, or liking towards the topics proposed in the subject of computer programming. Additionally, the participants felt authentic desires to learn (Orientation of the study activities towards Intrinsic Goals), greater self-confidence to approach the learning tasks (Beliefs of Control of Learning), and better expectations to achieve their learning goals in the subject (Expectations of Self-Efficacy in Learning). All mentioned contribute to the understanding of the real effects related to gamification in computer programming because in this way teachers and students can appropriate these methodologies in an informed way. Future Research: It would be interesting to be able to replicate the intervention carried out in this study in longitudinal research that would allow us to know the effects of gamification over a long period of time. It is also necessary to understand, through more experimental or quasi-experimental studies, the effects of computer-assisted gamification on other aspects such as academic performance, learning, active participation of students, among others.

The TABLET Programming Learning Environment: from Block-based to Text-based Programming

The TABLET Programming Learning Environment: from Block-based to Text-based Programming

Self-efficacy and behavior patterns of learners using a real-time collaboration system developed for group programming

In order to promote the practice of co-creation, a real-time collaboration (RTC) version of the popular block-based programming (BBP) learning environment, MIT App Inventor (MAI), was proposed and implemented. RTC overcomes challenges related to non-collocated group work, thus lowering barriers to cross-region and multi-user collaborative software development. An empirical study probed into the differential impact on self-efficacy and collaborative behavior of learners in the environment depending upon their disciplinary background. The study serves as an example of the use of learning analytics to explore the frequent behavior patterns of adult learners, in this case specifically while performing BBP in MAI integrated with RTC. This study compares behavior patterns that are collaborative or individual that occurred on the platform, and investigates the effects of collaboration on learners working within the RTC depending on whether they were CS-majors or not. We highlight advantages of the new MAI design during multi-user programming in the online RTC based on the connections between the interface design and BBP as illustrated by two significant behavior patterns found in this instructional experiment. First, the multi-user programming in the RTC allowed multiple tasks to happen at the same time, which promoted engagement in joint behavior. For example, one user arranged components in the interface design while another dragged blocks to complete the program. Second, this study confirmed that the Computer Programming Self-Efficacy (CPSE) was similar for individual and multi-user programming overall. The CPSE of the homogeneous CS-major groups engaged in programming within the RTC was higher than that of the homogeneous non-CS-major groups and heterogeneous groups. There was no significant difference between the CPSE of the homogenous non-CS group and the CPSE of the heterogeneous groups, regardless of whether they were engaged in individual programming or collaborative programming within their groups. The results of the study support the value of engaging with MAI collaboratively, especially for CS-majors, and suggest directions for future work in RTC design.

Applying Cognitive Load Theory to Examine STEM Undergraduate Students’ Experiences in An Adaptive Learning Environment: A Mixed-Methods Study

This study examined undergraduate STEM students’ experiences using an online introductory computer programming learning environment equipped with an automated hint generation system. Following a convergent parallel mixed methods design, this study utilized both quantitative and qualitative data from student experiential data. Analysis by level of prior knowledge demonstrated that elements of the learning environment did not cater to their learning needs and cognitive architecture. Cognitive Load Theory was used to contextualize system elements against both higher and lower prior experience learners, ultimately pointing to a need to design better scaffolds and hints to the needs of novice CS learners.

Visual Programming Environments and Computational Thinking Performance of Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Students

Currently, many countries actively cultivate students to develop computational thinking ability. Many visual programming environments (VPEs) and physical robot courses have been integrated into computational thinking learning in the elementary education stage. This study explores the relationship between the programming learning environment (including VPE, physical robots, and no experience) and the computational thinking ability of higher-grade elementary school students of different genders. The results show that learning through VPE or physical robots can help students improve their computational thinking ability and that students learn better via physical robots. In addition, among the four dimensions of computational thinking ability, most students are weak in algorithm design. In terms of gender, no differences exist in computational thinking ability. Further analysis reveals that female students have better decomposition performance in VPE learning, while male students have better algorithm design performance.

Dynamics of emotion, problem solving, and identity: Portraits of three girl coders

ABSTRACT Background and Context Women are underrepresented in the field of computer science, a trend that in part can be traced to girls’ early experiences with the discipline. Objective Our aim is to show how three girls who became strong coders talked about their debugging practice at the intersection of problem solving, emotion, and identity. Method We use the portraiture methodology to trace the goodness of a designed programming workshop environment. We aim to show the trajectories of three strong coders over the course of two years of participation in weekend and summer workshops. Findings We found that creative reflection spaces through journaling, art making, and storytelling opened possibilities for the learners to observe, understand, and critically examine the integration between problem solving, emotion, and identity in their programming experience. Implications Findings have implications for designing inclusive programming learning environments that invite collective reflection on the moment-to-moment experience of learning to code.

A case study investigating programming students’ peer review of codes and their perceptions of the online learning environment

Programming in schools is no longer a novel subject. It is now quite commonly found in our schools either in formal or informal curriculum. Programmers use creative learning tactics to solve problems and communicate ideas. Learning to program is generally considered challenging. Developing and implementing new methodologies in teaching programming is imperative to overcome the current challenges associated with teaching and learning of programming. This case study aims to contribute to the programming education in schools by investigating how students learn in an online programming while involved in peer review of codes. The study subsequently examines students’ perceptions of the pedagogical, social and technical design of the online programming learning environment. When students are involved in providing and receiving feedback and creating their own identity in a programming community, they may be better prepared for learning and applying programming in their undergraduate studies and their future career in the field.

The impact of gamification on students\u2019 learning, engagement and behavior based on their personality traits

The gamification of education can enhance levels of students’ engagement similar to what games can do, to improve their particular skills and optimize their learning. On the other hand, scientific studies have shown adverse outcomes based on the user’s preferences. The link among the user’s characteristics, executed actions, and the game elements is still an open question. Aiming to find some insights for this issue, we have investigated the effects of gamification on students’ learning, behavior, and engagement based on their personality traits in a web-based programming learning environment. We have conducted an experiment for four months with 40 undergraduate students of first-year courses on programming. Students were randomly assigned to one of the two versions of the programming learning environment: a gamified version composed of ranking, points, and badges and the original non-gamified version. We have found evidence that gamification affected users in distinct ways based on their personality traits. Our results indicate that the effect of gamification depends on the specific characteristics of users.First part title: Studying the impact of gamification on learning and engagement based on the personality traits of students

Overview of the Computer Programming Learning Environments for primary education

Over the past decade, the assessment of the general educational value of computer programming and computational thinking has been constantly increasing and, as a result, they are introduced to increasingly younger ages. In parallel, educational programming environments are significantly progressing, providing a variety of options for different ages. This paper presents an overview of the modern learning programming environments for primary education and proposes a classification system with categories corresponding to the technological and educational dimensions of the area. The paper aims to support teachers in learning design for the interdisciplinary approach of programming and the development of computational thinking.

Utilising behavioural analytics in a blended programming learning environment

ABSTRACTIn this work, we study students' behaviours from a blended programming learning environment that integrates learning analytics across physical and digital learning spaces. We designed a classroom study and collected data from a computer science class. Students' reviewing and reflecting behaviours, based on the use of a home-grown educational technology were tracked and modelled. Moreover, students' reviewing efforts, in terms of frequency, timing, and the associations with their academic performances were analysed. Results showed that high- and low-level students had distinct reviewing strategies. High-level students were more vigilant in reviewing. When they reviewed persistently, they achieved higher academic performances. Overall, students put extra emphasis on reviewing prior to the exams and the efforts demonstrated the desire to review formal assessments regardless of if they were graded for academic performance. In addition, all students paid more attention to reviewing quizzes and exams toward the end of the semester.

Second life as a learning environment for computer programming

In this study, we gauge the perceptions of novice computer programmers about Second Life (SL) as a digital learning environment for concept understanding in computer programming. SL is chosen as the learning environment because it offers, within a constructivist frame, the use of learner-centered pedagogies for designing curriculum. We adopt a pilot study as the research methodology. The participants in the study possessed novice programming skills, and they engaged in activities designed for achieving the learning objectives. Qualitative data collected from multiple sources of evidence were interpreted and analyzed. Generally, the findings of the study strongly support the use of SL for novice programmers to learn programming, and the usability of SL. The findings suggest positive support offered by SL although the findings cannot be used to make form conclusions due to the small-scale nature of the study.