Google as Teacher: Constructive Search Engine Use When Learning to Code

Learning today is marked by ubiquitous access to technology and easy information retrieval. That begs the question: how does having all of the answers, often literally in the palm of our hands, affect our memory? Prior research suggests that the ease of searching Google leads learners to offload thinking to the internet, despite likely knowing the answers, and even when accessing the internet is made inconvenient [1] [2]. Consequently, search engine use during learning may limit mental effort and critical thinking, thus impeding knowledge retention. Prior research also suggests that actively thinking about yet-to-be-learned material (pre-testing) can enhance subsequent retention of that material, even when initially generated answers are incorrect [3].

The present study applied these insights to the programming education domain to investigate whether thinking about a coding problem before consulting the internet can enhance memory of the searched content. The experiment involved an initial learning phase (variables, print (), if statements, for loops), a programming task, a second learning phase (lists, for loops with lists, .add (), indexing), and a final test. To solve the programming task participants (n=212) had to recall information from learning phase I. However, the task also required information from learning phase II that participants hadn't yet learned. Half of the participants attempted to solve the coding task before seeking Google's help (pre-test), while the other half read the task instructions and immediately consulted Google for answers.