skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


Title: Stepwise Help and Scaffolding for Java Code Tracing Problems With an Interactive Trace Table
In this paper, we describe the integration of a step-by-step interactive trace table into an existing practice system for introductory Java programming. These autogenerated trace problems provide help and scaffolding for students who have trouble in solving traditional one-step code tracing problems, accommodating a wider variety of learners. Findings from classroom deployments suggest the scaffolding provided by the trace table is a plausible form of help, most notably increases in performance and persistence and lower task difficulty. Based on usage data, we propose future implications for an adaptive version of the interactive trace table based on learner modeling.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1740775 1822752
PAR ID:
10328791
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Proceedings of 21st Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research
Page Range / eLocation ID:
1 to 10
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Proceedings of the 44th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society)
    Culbertson, J.; Perfors, A.; Rabagliati, H.; Ramenzoni, V. (Ed.)
    Integrating visual representations in an interactive learning activity effectively scaffolds performance and learning. However, it is unclear whether and how sustaining or interleaving visual scaffolding helps learners solve problems efficiently and learn from problem solving. We conducted a classroom study with 63 middle-school students in which we tested whether sustaining or interleaving a particular form of visual scaffolding, called anticipatory diagrammatic self-explanation in an Intelligent Tutoring System, helps students’ learning and performance in the domain of early algebra. Sustaining visual scaffolding during problem solving helped students solve problems efficiently with no negative effects on learning. However, in-depth log data analyses suggest that interleaving visual scaffolding allowed students to practice important skills that may help them in later phases of algebra learning. This paper extends scientific understanding that sustaining visual scaffold does not over-scaffold student learning in the early phase of skill acquisition in algebra. 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Proceedings of the 44th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society)
    Culbertson, J.; Perfors, A.; Rabagliati, H.; Ramenzoni, V. (Ed.)
    Integrating visual representations in an interactive learning activity effectively scaffolds performance and learning. However, it is unclear whether and how sustaining or interleaving visual scaffolding helps learners solve problems efficiently and learn from problem solving. We conducted a classroom study with 63 middle-school students in which we tested whether sustaining or interleaving a particular form of visual scaffolding, called anticipatory diagrammatic self-explanation in an Intelligent Tutoring System, helps students’ learning and performance in the domain of early algebra. Sustaining visual scaffolding during problem solving helped students solve problems efficiently with no negative effects on learning. However, in-depth log data analyses suggest that interleaving visual scaffolding allowed students to practice important skills that may help them in later phases of algebra learning. This paper extends scientific understanding that sustaining visual scaffold does not over-scaffold student learning in the early phase of skill acquisition in algebra. 
    more » « less
  3. ; (, International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI))
    The first step in classifying the complexity of an NP problem is typically showing the problem in P or NP-complete. This has been a successful first step for many problems, including voting problems. However, in this paper we show that this may not always be the best first step. We consider the problem of constructive control by replacing voters (CCRV) introduced by Loreggia et al. [2015, https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.5555/2772879.2773411] for the scoring rule First-Last, which is defined by (1, 0, ..., 0, -1). We show that this problem is equivalent to Exact Perfect Bipartite Matching, and so CCRV for First-Last can be determined in random polynomial time. So on the one hand, if CCRV for First-Last is NP-complete then RP = NP, which is extremely unlikely. On the other hand, showing that CCRV for First-Last is in P would also show that Exact Perfect Bipartite Matching is in P, which would solve a well-studied 40-year-old open problem.Considering RP as an option for classifying problems can also help classify problems that until now had escaped classification. For example, the sole open problem in the comprehensive table from Erdélyi et al. [2021, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10458-021-09523-9] is CCRV for 2-Approval. We show that this problem is in RP, and thus easy since it is widely assumed that P = RP. 
    more » « less
  4. (, The science teacher)
    National Science Teachers Association (Ed.)
    We demonstrate how a chemistry unit on evaporative cooling with an embedded system modeling tool called SageModeler can help students in the critical work of exploring and understanding complex problems. The framework for scaffolding students in ST and CT through modeling can be applied to other disciplines—including climate change, ecosystems, population dynamics, forces and motion, and many other topics—in order to foster student participation in systems thinking and computational thinking through modeling. In doing so, they will build skills to help them solve complex problems of the future. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; (, Proceedings of the 23rd Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research (Koli Calling))
    Introductory programming courses aim to teach students to write code independently. However, transitioning from studying worked examples to generating their own code is often difficult and frustrating for students, especially those with lower CS self-efficacy in general. Therefore, we investigated the impact of using Parsons problems as a code-writing scaffold for students with varying levels of CS self-efficacy. Parsons problems are programming tasks where students arrange mixed-up code blocks in the correct order. We conducted a between-subjects study with undergraduate students (N=89) on a topic where students have limited code-writing expertise. Students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions. Students in one condition practiced writing code without any scaffolding, while students in the other condition were provided with scaffolding in the form of an equivalent Parsons problem. We found that, for students with low CS self-efficacy levels, those who received scaffolding achieved significantly higher practice performance and in-practice problem-solving efficiency compared to those without any scaffolding. Furthermore, when given Parsons problems as scaffolding during practice, students with lower CS selfefficacy were more likely to solve them. In addition, students with higher pre-practice knowledge on the topic were more likely to effectively use the Parsons scaffolding. This study provides evidence for the benefits of using Parsons problems to scaffold students’ write-code activities. It also has implications for optimizing the Parsons scaffolding experience for students, including providing personalized and adaptive Parsons problems based on the student’s current problem-solving status. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email