Re: Testing Inclination to Programming

2011-03-20 Thread Richard O'Keefe
I'd just like to endorse the suggestion that you regard this study
as a pilot study.  Last year I did an experiment on code reading
(three programs presented in three different styles).  It turned
out that the dominant effects were

 - a number of students complaining that a 30-page manual for
   the programming language used in the task was an outrageous
   amount to ask them to read (they had _weeks_ to read it)

 - a large number of students who claimed to be unable to read
   code on paper, needing machine assistance with syntax
   colouring and searching (the programs were all a little
   under two pages long)

 - a number of students who claimed to be unable to read code
   without running test cases.

The skill I wanted to investigate ("desk checking") was, it turned
out, a skill most of the students did not possess at all.

You can expect your pilot study to surprise you.


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Re: Testing Inclination to Programming

2011-03-20 Thread Stefano Federici
Same of you mentioned the concept of self-efficacy and in some of the  
papers I found references to the following paper:


Ramalingam V. & Wiedenbeck S. Development and validation of scores on  
a computer programming self-efficacy scale and group analyses of  
novice programmer self-efficacy. Journal of Educational Computing  
Research, 19(4) (1998), 365-379.


Unfortunately I don't seem to be able to find it online. Even the  
journal site doesn't have a digital archive.


Is there someone that could send me a digital copy of the paper?

Thank you in advance

Stefano


Stefano Federici
-
Università degli Studi di Cagliari
Facoltà di Scienze della Formazione
Dipartimento di Scienze Pedagogiche e Filosofiche
Via Is Mirrionis 1, 09123 Cagliari, Italia
-
Cell: +39 349 818 1955 Tel.: +39 070 675 7815
Fax: +39 070 675 7113



--
The Open University is incorporated by Royal Charter (RC 000391), an exempt charity 
in England & Wales and a charity registered in Scotland (SC 038302).