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In computer science (CS) higher education, many students in introductory courses (CS1) struggle to learn programming due to both the complexity of the discipline and negative affective experiences while learning. Large class sizes hinder the opportunity to receive support that addresses both disciplinary knowledge and affective experiences, both of which have been shown to influence self-efficacy. Our work utilized a combination of structured daily diaries and retrospective interviews to surface participants’ programming experiences, affective responses, and self-perceptions. Through two case studies, we highlight the intertwined nature of disciplinary knowledge and affective experiences in the learning process of students in CS1, and advocate for increased attention to student interactions with TAs as an opportunity to provide affective support along with disciplinary learning.
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The relations between students’ belongingness, self-efficacy, and response to active learning
In this study, we examined the relation between students’ affective and behavioral response to active learning, the influence of students’ belongingness and their self-efficacy on these responses, and the moderating influence of students’ gender-identity. We found that, despite mean differences in value, positivity, and distraction, there were not gender differences in the pattern of relations between variables. For both groups, belongingness and self-efficacy independently predicted students’ affective response and their evaluation of the class. Belongingness also predicted students’ participation in class. These findings suggest that student-level factors play an important role in how students respond to active learning and that fostering an atmosphere that supports both self-efficacy and belongingness may be beneficial for all students.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1821488
- PAR ID:
- 10351987
- Publisher / Repository:
- AERA
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Annual meeting program American Educational Research Association
- ISSN:
- 0163-9676
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Ko, A. K. (Ed.)There are significant participation gaps in computing, and the way to address these participation gaps lies not simply in getting students from underrepresented groups into a CS1 classroom, but supporting students to pursue their interest in computing further beyond CS1. There are many factors that may influence students’ pursuit of computing beyond introductory courses, including their sense that they can do what CS courses require of them (their self-efficacy) and positive emotional experiences in CS courses. When interest has been addressed in computing education, research has treated it mostly as an outcome of particular pedagogical approaches or curricula; what has not been studied is how students’ longer-term interest develops through more granular experiences that students have as they begin to engage with computing. In this paper, we present the results of a study designed to investigate how students’ interest in computing develops as a product of their momentary self-efficacy and affective experiences. Using a methodology that is relatively uncommon to computer science education—the experience sampling method, which involves frequently asking students brief, unobtrusive questions about their experiences—we surveyed CS1 students every week over the course of a semester to capture the nuances of their experiences. 74 CS1 students responded 14-18 times over the course of a semester about their self-efficacy, frustration, and situational interest. With this data, we used a multivariate, multi-level statistical model that allowed us to estimate how students’ granular, momentary experiences (measured through the experience sampling method surveys) and initial interest, self-efficacy, and self-reported gender (measured through traditional surveys) relate to their longer-term interest and achievement in the course. We found that students’ momentary experiences have a significant impact on their interest in computing and course outcomes, even controlling for the self-efficacy and interest students reported at the beginning of the semester. We also found significant gender differences in students’ momentary experiences, however, these were reduced substantially when students’ self-efficacy was added to the model, suggesting that gender gaps could instead be self-efficacy gaps. These results suggest that students’ momentary experiences in CS1, how they experience the course week to week, have an impact on their longer-term interest and learning outcomes. Furthermore, we found that male and female students reported different experiences, suggesting that improving the CS1 experiences that students have could help to close gender-related participation gaps. In all, this study shows that the granular experiences students have in CS1 matter for key outcomes of interest to computing education researchers and educators and that the experience sampling method, more common in fields adjacent to computer science education, provides one way for researchers to integrate the experiences students have into our accounts of why students become interested in computing.more » « less
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