The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe how novice students
solved computer programming problems in a beginning college level computer
science (CS) course with an introduction to object-oriented programming (OOP)
and what knowledge they obtained about OOP and computer problem solving
(CPS) as a result of their experiences. Additionally, this descriptive study
attempted to characterize the instruction provided to students in a beginning CS
course as well as students' CPS strategies.
An introduction to computer science class at the college level was selected
for the sample. One experienced instructor and four students participated in this
study. Data were collected through classroom observations, interviews with the
instructor and students, classroom documents and researcher's journals.
The analysis of the results revealed a teacher-centered instruction focused
on syntactical details with an emphasis on the imperative paradigm and an
introduction to object-oriented aspects of the C++ language. Results revealed that
to develop the solution code for the given problems, students consistently
approached them without a comprehensive written plan/design. The process
students typically used in developing a solution for the given computer problem
involved: (1) problem understanding, (2) preliminary problem analysis, (3) reliance
on examples and (4) trial-and-error. Students typically approached debugging
syntax and logic errors by (1) following the compiler generated messages, (2) using
trial-and-error, (3) performing a desk-check strategy and (4) using the VISUAL
C++ debugger. This study identified the features of CPS and OOP learning that
can be studied for identifying how students approach CPS and OOP processes in
other object-oriented languages (such as JAVA) and how their CPS and OOP
processes develop as compared to C++. Differences in programming performances
were found among males and females. Males in this study were more comfortable
with the mechanical-orientation of programming as compared with their female
counterparts. Future research is needed in CPS and OOP to explore gender issues
in learning OOP languages. This study identified potential student CPS and OOP
learning processes and factors using a qualitative approach. Future research should
investigate the factors effecting introductory CS problem solving using a
quantitative methodology or perhaps a combination of qualitative and quantitative
approaches. / Graduation date: 2003
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/31604 |
| Date | 10 March 2003 |
| Creators | Zaman, Naeem |
| Contributors | Niess, Margaret L. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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