Existing research suggests an intuitive relationship between mathematics and computer programming. These previous studies have focused primarily on the cognitive connection and have ignored the potential impact of programming on an individual's perception and application of mathematical skills. By surveying and interviewing a variety of participants, this study aims to provide a descriptive foundation for the experiential side of cognitive correlations and causalities. These phenomenological accounts, garnered from individual interviews of seven different programmers, indicate four specific areas of interest. First, learning to program provided context for many abstract concepts. Second, programming illustrated the important distinction between understanding the application of math in a specific situation and the execution of a known procedure. Third, programming habits helped participants divide complex problems into more manageable tasks. Finally, the necessity of solving a programming problem provided motivation and eliminated apprehension toward mathematics.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BGMYU2/oai:scholarsarchive.byu.edu:etd-3650 |
| Date | 13 June 2011 |
| Creators | Bly, Neil M. |
| Publisher | BYU ScholarsArchive |
| Source Sets | Brigham Young University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/ |
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