Open AccessPosted Content
First Programming Language: Visual or Textual?
Mark Noone,Aidan Mooney +1 more
TL;DR: A study is undertaken that is the first step in a body of work that aims to garner the interest of potential Computer Science students at an early age by comparison of two short courses based in Java and Snap to determine whether either of these languages is a better first programming language for students than the other, or if both are viable.
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Abstract: In modern day society, the ability to code is a highly desirable skill. So much so that the current supply from third level institutes across the world does not meet the high demands of industry. One of the major issues is the low progression rates from first to second year in third level Computer Science courses with introductory programming courses proving to be a high contributing factor. This is something that needs to be addressed. One such way to address the issue is to get children involved and engaged with computing at young ages.
This paper describes a study undertaken that is the first step in a body of work that aims to garner the interest of potential Computer Science students at an early age. The study involves a comparison of two short courses; one based in Java and one based in Snap. The goal is to determine whether either of these languages is a better first programming language for students than the other, or if both are viable. These languages were chosen to allow for a comparison between a Visual Programming Language and a Textual Programming Language.
Feedback in the form of a survey will be used to gather the opinions of the students. This will provide data on issues such as which language was easier to learn and which language was preferred amongst others. Based on the outcomes of this study, a full-scale curriculum will be developed in the coming year. The outcomes of this study will help to establish which is the best programming language to suit the learning needs of students.
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Figures
Figure 4.1(a) – Snap Difficulty Figure 4.1(b) – Java Difficulty 
Table 3.1 – Course Topics 
Figure 3.1(a) – Snap Advanced Code Figure 3.1(b) – Java Advanced Code 
Figure 4.3(b) – Students responses to their least favourite things in the courses 
Figure 4.3(a) – Students responses to their favourite things in the courses 
Figure 4.2(a) – Snap Difficulty by Age Figure 4.2(b) – Java Difficulty by Age
Citations
Hybrid Java: The creation of a Hybrid Programming Environment
Mark Noone,Aidan Mooney,Keith Nolan +2 more
- 13 Jan 2021
TL;DR: This article details the creation of a hybrid computer programming environment combining the power of the text-based Java language with the visual features of the Snap! language to create the Hybrid Java environment.
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Computational Thinking with the Web Crowd using CodeMapper.
Patrick Vanvorce,Hasan M. Jamil +1 more
TL;DR: A new programming platform, called the CodeMapper, is introduced, in which learners are able to build computational logic in independent modules and aggregate them to create complex modules.
1
How to Learn and How to Teach the Five Content Areas: Programming Languages, Game Design, Computer Thinking, Algorithmic Thinking and Robotics Programming - A Systematic Review of Journal Publications From 2015 to 2020”
27 Jan 2023
TL;DR: In this paper , a review of 7580 papers in 13 academic journals, published from January 2015 to January 2020, is presented, showing the representation of the listed content area in reviewed papers for the specified time period as well as a detailed analysis of the selected papers.
1
Icon-based Coding Software with Multi-user Evaluation Mode
Byungseok Kang
- 27 Oct 2023
TL;DR: This study introduces ICAN, a new coding education software supporting icon coding and debugging, with a multi-user evaluation mode, to enhance programming education for non-major students, emphasizing conciseness, generality, and efficiency in programming theories.
Computational thinking with the web crowd using CodeMapper
Patrick Vanvorce,Hasan M. Jamil +1 more
- 08 Apr 2019
TL;DR: CodeMapper as discussed by the authors is an abstract development environment in which rapid visual prototyping of systems is possible by combining already developed independent modules in logical steps, and learners are able to build computational logic in independent modules and aggregate them to create complex modules.
References
To block or not to block, that is the question: students' perceptions of blocks-based programming
David Weintrop,Uri Wilensky +1 more
- 21 Jun 2015
TL;DR: Findings from a study looking at how high school students view blocks-based programming tools, what they identify as contributing to the perceived ease-of-use of such tools, and what they see as the most salient differences between blocks- based and text- based programming are used to inform the design of new, and revision of existing, introductory programming tools.
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From Scratch to “Real” Programming
TL;DR: It is found that the programming knowledge and experience of students who had learned Scratch greatly facilitated learning the more advanced material in secondary school: less time was needed to learn new topics, there were fewer learning difficulties, and they achieved higher cognitive levels of understanding of most concepts.
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A snapshot of current practices in teaching the introductory programming sequence
Stephen Davies,Jennifer A. Polack-Wahl,Karen Anewalt +2 more
- 09 Mar 2011
TL;DR: The study reveals the great variety in CS0 approach, the relative uniformity of CS1 and CS2 approaches, the dominance of Java as a language for the introductory major sequence, and the tendency for departments to teach CS1and CS2 in a consistent manner, rather than exposing students to different ideas in each.
105
Visual and Textual Programming Languages: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Mark Noone,Aidan Mooney +1 more
TL;DR: This study will provide insight into whether or not the current approaches to teaching young learners programming are viable, and what can be done to increase the interest and retention of these students as they progress through their education.
Visual and textual programming languages: a systematic review of the literature
Mark Noone,Aidan Mooney +1 more
- 15 Mar 2018
TL;DR: In this article, the role of visual and textual programming languages when learning to program, particularly as a First Programming Language, is examined, and the results are presented and quantitatively analysed.