Abstract
Programming can be unpopular with some university students of computing, who may then go on to graduate without good programming skills. This unpopularity threatens student recruitment into the core computing courses and professions, and may weaken the economy. It may be that negative attitudes harm the students interest and confidence in programming, making for an unsatisfying learning experience. In this pilot study, student attitudes towards programming, and possible changes in attitude, were investigated by means of a survey on a universitys introductory programming course. Results indicate that some students have negative attitudes toward programming, and programmers; and this applies to school pupils as well. A minority of the students questioned retained their frustration and dislike of programming throughout the course, but others came to love it in the end. Interpretation of the results leads to speculation regarding the quality of the teaching of programming, both at school and at university.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2010 |
Event | 22nd Annual Workshop of the Psychology of Programming Interest Group - Leganés, Spain Duration: 19 Sept 2010 → 21 Sept 2010 |
Conference
Conference | 22nd Annual Workshop of the Psychology of Programming Interest Group |
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Country/Territory | Spain |
City | Leganés |
Period | 19/09/10 → 21/09/10 |
Keywords
- programming
- higher education
- computer science students