Minding the Gap Between Blocks-Based and Text-Based Programming (Abstract Only)
David Weintrop · 2015
Graphical blocks-based programming environments, such as Scratch and Snap!, are becoming increasingly popular tools for introducing learners to programming in formal educational settings. However, a growing body of research is finding that students struggle when transitioning from these tools to more conventional, text-based programming languages. To better understand students' difficulties and begin to explore potential solutions to facilitate this transition, a 10-week, quasi-experimental study was conducted with 80 students across three high-school introductory programming classes. Each class spent five weeks working with different version of a blocks-based programming tool, each of which integrated text-based programming in a different way. After working in the introductory environments, students transitioned to Java for the remainder of the study. The goal of this project is to understand the affects of blocks-based programming on students' emerging understandings, document challenges students face in transitioning from blocks-based to text-based programming, and investigate potential ways to bridge these two modalities. To answer these questions, a mixed-method approach was taken that included cognitive interviews with learners, automated collection of student authored programs, and pre/mid/post attitudinal and content assessments.