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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

The effect of computer programming experience on mathematical problem solving ability

McCoy, Leah Paulette January 1987 (has links)
Five component problem-solving skills (general strategy, planning, logical thinking, algebraic variables, and debugging) were identified as common elements of both computer programming and mathematical problem-solving. Based on the similarities of these general skills in specific contexts, a theory was generated that the skills would transfer and that experience in computer programming would cause an improvement in mathematical problem-solving achievement. A path model was constructed to illustrate this hypothesized causal relationship between computer programming and mathematical problem-solving achievement. In order to control for other relevant variables, the model also included mathematics experience, access to a home computer, ability, socioeconomic status, and gender. The model was tested with a sample of 800 high school students in seven southwest Virginia high schools. Results indicated that ability had the largest causal effect on mathematical problem-solving achievement. Three variables had a moderate effect: computer programming experience, mathematics experience, and gender. The other two variables in the model (access to a home computer and socioeconomic status) were only very slightly related to mathematical problem-solving achievement. The conclusion of the study was that there was evidence to support the theory of transfer of skills from computer programming experience to mathematical problem-solving. Once ability and gender were controlled, computer programming experience and mathematics experience both had causal effects on mathematical problem-solving achievement. This suggests that to maximize mathematical problem-solving scores, a curriculum should include both mathematics and computer programming experiences. / Ed. D.

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