Purpose – The contradiction of the increased demand for IT specialists and the decrease of the enrollment in programming courses at universities worldwide has been discussed over the years. To tackle the problem, researchers and teachers in computing education have investigated various success factors in introductory programming courses, mostly within the context of computer science. This paper focuses on the investigation of success factors for students that are not majoring in computer science (non-CS) in an introductory programming course, to report on the results of student's performance and analysis of the most relevant success factors, also provide suggestions that could be considered for the course design and teaching method.   Method – The methods used to carry out the study are a survey with 36 participants, conducted before the start of an introductory programming course, and qualitative interviews conducted with twelve students after the end of the course. The interviews were then analysed thematically to find common patterns for five success factors between the students with different grades. The success factors that were examined are math background, previous programming experience, comfort level, motivation and attribution to success.   Findings – Math background could not be proved as a success factor in this study due to the lack of a standardized assessment of the students’ math levels. Previous programming experience could be regarded as a success factor but not as dominant as the success factor motivation, which has shown clear patterns in the data. Comfort level could be seen as one of the success factors as well, as most of the data in this study support this conclusion. Lastly, attribution to success as a success factor could not be supported by this study; the qualitative data showed variety which makes it hard to draw a conclusion directly.   Implications – The study suggest increasing the motivation for the non-CS students in introductory programming by combining programming with other subjects in the programme. The lecturer could customize the course for students with different interests so they could select a path and adapt the knowledge to their needs. Bridging courses and various forms of mentoring are also recommended to offer.   Limitations – The time frame of the study limited the amount of data that could be collected. The study was conducted with students from only one university and one non-CS programme, with a small data sample for analysis, which is limiting in the way the results can be generalized.

The aim of this research was to make recommendations on how to facilitate a healthy sense of Computer Self-Efficacy (CSE) in teachers of a primary school in South Africa. A literature study was conducted to determine a theoretical framework for the study. Thereafter a mixed method design was used to conduct an empirical investigation. This was done by means of focus group interviews, questionnaires and an observational narrative. The most important finding was that the teachers who participated in the research were professional and enlightened about the value of technology. They agreed that although daunted by the idea of technology it is essential for them to become proficient in the use of computers. The researcher came to the conclusion that the main obstacle that stands between the participants and technological proficiency was a weak sense of CSE. Recommendations were made on how one could use extrinsic motivation to introduce new technology in such a way as to enhance self-efficacy and as result computer self-efficacy. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Adult Education)

The aim of this research was to make recommendations on how to facilitate a healthy sense of Computer Self-Efficacy (CSE) in teachers of a primary school in South Africa. A literature study was conducted to determine a theoretical framework for the study. Thereafter a mixed method design was used to conduct an empirical investigation. This was done by means of focus group interviews, questionnaires and an observational narrative. The most important finding was that the teachers who participated in the research were professional and enlightened about the value of technology. They agreed that although daunted by the idea of technology it is essential for them to become proficient in the use of computers. The researcher came to the conclusion that the main obstacle that stands between the participants and technological proficiency was a weak sense of CSE. Recommendations were made on how one could use extrinsic motivation to introduce new technology in such a way as to enhance self-efficacy and as result computer self-efficacy. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Adult Education)