A study of college students, construct of parameter passing: implications for instruction
Sandra Madison · 1996
After reaching a peak in the early 1980s, student interest in computer science and information systems has declined dramatically. When coupled with increased industry demand for information systems professionals and higher than average salaries, the decline is especially troublesome. The Computer Information Systems program at a midwestern state university mirrors the problems reported by other sources. Attrition in the programming courses is high, and students, especially those from other disciplines taking the initial programming class as a service course, are often less than successful. Thus it is important to discover the factors of the computer programming course that dishearten students and discourage them from pursuing a computing career. Parameter (argument) passing is the mechanism by which various program modules share information in a complex program. Without parameters, there is no genuine programming. Nevertheless, the computer programming instruction literature reveals a virtual absence of attention to the construct. This was a study of novice programmers' understanding of the parameter construct. The study used a multi-case qualitative design. The bulk of the data was collected from interviews with eight college students enrolled in a state university introductory computer programming course. Observations of the programming instruction, interviews with the course's instructor, and related student work provided additional data. Among other findings, the study revealed that the natural-language meaning of some computer terminology caused problems and that most students' understanding of the parameter construct was fragile at the conclusion of their introductory course. Furthermore, it found that students' procedural knowledge (ability to construct modular programs that incorporate parameters) generally surpassed their conceptual knowledge (understanding of the parameter construct and of programs that incorporate the construct). The study also divulged that students who harbored fundamental misconceptions of the parameter process could, by making seemingly innocuous adjustments to procedure heading lines, construct programs that produced the correct answer. Moreover, concrete representations, collaboration in a structured laboratory environment, focused completion-type exercises, and elaboration appeared to foster success.