Second language acquisition and CS1

Abstract

This paper presents an empirical study of the relative effectiveness of two teaching methods used in CS1 classrooms. While the teaching methods are nothing new, the results of the study are an important contribution to the body of computer science education literature. The research design should also be of interest in that it demonstrates how statistical significance can be achieved with a relatively small sample by using the naturally occurring groups that we have as course sections.The teaching methods studied here were having students write programming assignments from scratch versus having them add to or modify existing well-written, well-documented programs. The results are perhaps not surprising. After controlling for certain factors, the statistical analysis showed that students who added to program templates as programming assignments scored better on the comprehensive examination and had higher overall course averages than their counter parts who wrote programs from scratch. This idea is firmly based in cognitive psychology and teachers of language use a similar method extensively. Reading increases vocabulary, aids in concept retention, and improves writing skill.