Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Logo Programming on Cognitive Abilities and Achievement

Abstract

The Logo computer language was developed to serve as a conceptual framework for teaching problem-solving skills and subject-matter content. As such, its effects may not be immediate and direct, but delayed and diffusive. This study investigated the delayed effects of Logo programming on the cognitive abilities and achievement of primary grade children. Eighteen first grade children were pretested, randomly assigned to Logo computer programming or computer-assisted instruction treatments (3 months duration), and tested on achievement and cognitive abilities eighteen months following the end of the training (i.e., near the beginning of their third grade year). After the tests had been commercially scored, children's responses were analyzed item by item. Based on these analyses, questions were planned and the children were interviewed five months after the administration of the tests. Results indicated that Logo programming affected certain areas of cognitive functioning and achievement; however, the analyses and interviews demonstrated that these effects were not simple or straightforward.