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Predictors of success in a first programming course

Authors:

Anthony Robins,

Michael de Raadt,

Patricia Haden,

Margaret Hamilton,

Raymond Lister,

Denise Tolhurst,

Jodi TuttyAuthors Info & Claims

ACE '06: Proceedings of the 8th Australasian Conference on Computing Education - Volume 52

Pages 189 - 196

Published: 01 January 2006 Publication History

Abstract

This paper describes a multi-national, multiinstitutional study that investigated introductory programming courses. Student participants were drawn from eleven institutions, mainly in Australasia, during the academic year of 2004. A number of diagnostic tasks were used to explore cognitive, behavioural, and attitudinal factors such as spatial visualisation and reasoning, the ability to articulate strategies for commonplace search and design tasks, and attitudes to studying. The results indicate that a deep approach to learning was positively correlated with mark for the course, while a surface approach was negatively correlated; spatial visualisation skills are correlated with success; a progression of map drawing styles identified in the literature has a significant correlation with marks; and increasing measures of richness of articulation of a search strategy are also associated with higher marks. Finally, a qualitative analysis of short interviews identified the qualities that students themselves regarded as important to success in programming.

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Cited By

Lorås MSindre GTrætteberg HAalberg T(2021)Study Behavior in Computing Education—A Systematic Literature ReviewACM Transactions on Computing Education10.1145/346912922:1(1-40)Online publication date: 18-Oct-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3469129
Endres MKaras ZHu XKovelman IWeimer W(2021)Relating Reading, Visualization, and Coding for New ProgrammersProceedings of the 43rd International Conference on Software Engineering10.1109/ICSE43902.2021.00062(600-612)Online publication date: 22-May-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1109/ICSE43902.2021.00062
Mannila LHeintz FKjällander SÅkerfeldt A(2020)Programming in primary educationProceedings of the 15th Workshop on Primary and Secondary Computing Education10.1145/3421590.3421598(1-10)Online publication date: 28-Oct-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3421590.3421598
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Predictors of success in a first programming course

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ACE '06: Proceedings of the 8th Australasian Conference on Computing Education - Volume 52

January 2006

259 pages

ISBN:1920682341

Publisher

Australian Computer Society, Inc.

Australia

Publication History

Published: 01 January 2006

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ACE '06

ACE '06: Computing Education

January 16 - 19, 2006

Hobart, Australia

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Overall Acceptance Rate 161 of 359 submissions, 45%

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Lorås MSindre GTrætteberg HAalberg T(2021)Study Behavior in Computing Education—A Systematic Literature ReviewACM Transactions on Computing Education10.1145/346912922:1(1-40)Online publication date: 18-Oct-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3469129
Endres MKaras ZHu XKovelman IWeimer W(2021)Relating Reading, Visualization, and Coding for New ProgrammersProceedings of the 43rd International Conference on Software Engineering10.1109/ICSE43902.2021.00062(600-612)Online publication date: 22-May-2021
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1109/ICSE43902.2021.00062
Mannila LHeintz FKjällander SÅkerfeldt A(2020)Programming in primary educationProceedings of the 15th Workshop on Primary and Secondary Computing Education10.1145/3421590.3421598(1-10)Online publication date: 28-Oct-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3421590.3421598
Cukierman DMcGee Thompson DSun WHawthorne EPérez-Quiñones MHeckman SZhang J(2019)The Academic Enhancement ProgramProceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education10.1145/3287324.3287422(686-692)Online publication date: 22-Feb-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3287324.3287422
Parsons DWood KGasson JMoskal ASimon Luxton-Reilly A(2019)Development of a Self-Reporting Tool for Capturing Student Emotions During Programming ActivitiesProceedings of the Twenty-First Australasian Computing Education Conference10.1145/3286960.3286968(64-68)Online publication date: 29-Jan-2019
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Hellas AIhantola PPetersen AAjanovski VGutica MHynninen TKnutas ALeinonen JMessom CLiao SRößling GScharlau B(2018)Predicting academic performance: a systematic literature reviewProceedings Companion of the 23rd Annual ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education10.1145/3293881.3295783(175-199)Online publication date: 2-Jul-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3293881.3295783
Cutts QPatitsas ECole EDonaldson PAlshaigy BGutica MHellas ALarraza-Mendiluze EMcCartney RRiedesel CSheard JKorhonen A(2018)Early Developmental Activities and Computing ProficiencyProceedings of the 2017 ITiCSE Conference on Working Group Reports10.1145/3174781.3174789(140-157)Online publication date: 30-Jan-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3174781.3174789
Lagus JLongi KKlami AHellas A(2018)Transfer-Learning Methods in Programming Course Outcome PredictionACM Transactions on Computing Education10.1145/315271418:4(1-18)Online publication date: 31-Oct-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3152714
Figueiredo JGarcía-Peñalvo F(2017)Improving Computational Thinking Using Follow and Give InstructionsProceedings of the 5th International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality10.1145/3144826.3145351(1-7)Online publication date: 18-Oct-2017
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Leppänen LLeinonen JIhantola PHellas AZilora SAyers TBogaard D(2017)Predicting Academic Success Based on Learning Material UsageProceedings of the 18th Annual Conference on Information Technology Education10.1145/3125659.3125695(13-18)Online publication date: 27-Sep-2017
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