Rebecca Mancy found a very highly significant correlation between 'field dependency' and performance of CS students in examinations: she writes "Field dependency is clearly a critical skill and the correlation of 0.4 on the final exam, which the CS1P lecturers consider as the most representative of programming ability, is extraordinarily high." (NB: it was the students who were field INdependent who scored well.)
Field dependency was measured using a visual test, the ability to perceive embedded visual figures. If you can see the figures, you are field independent. Full details in her PPIG paper, at the Carlow Workshop 2004, downloadable from: http://www.ppig.org/papers/16th-mancy.pdf Jarinee Chattatrichart also looked at visual and spatial abilities but didn't find any significant correlatiions. Rebecca, Jarinee, are you listening? Can you correct me if I've got it wrong, and perhaps give Sue some more help? Thomas Green [EMAIL PROTECTED] said: >I have just had my paper entitled "Spatial skills and navigation of >source >code" accepted for the ITiCSE conference. One of the questions I have >been >asked is if spatial ability correlates with program development ability, >an >area not looked at in my study (I focussed on program >comprehension/reading). > >Does anyone know of any work showing correlations between the ability to >read and write code? And if there is any work to show a relationship >between WRITING code and navigational/spatial ability? > >Thanks very much, > >Sue 73 Huntington Road, York YO31 8RL: 01904-673675 http://homepage.ntlworld.com/greenery/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- PPIG Discuss List (discuss@ppig.org) Discuss admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/discuss Announce admin: http://limitlessmail.net/mailman/listinfo/announce PPIG Discuss archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/discuss%40ppig.org/
