Sources of difficulty in assessing the cognitive effects of learning to program
Peter Goodyear · Journal of Computer Assisted Learning · 1987
Abstract Since the publication of Seymour Papert's ‘Mindstorms’ in 1980 there has been a steady flow of articles reporting on research which has attempted, in some sense, to test the claims made for programming as an educationally beneficial activity. The overall picture that these articles paint is not a clear one, but they leave a residual impression that the claims are, as yet, unsubstantiated. This paper argues that we are not in need of further controlled experimental studies so much as a clarification of our understanding of the novice programmer's learning task. It reviews a number of studies which have attempted to model the cognitive demands of programming through detailed observation rather than through abstract analysis. It emphasizes the distinction between programming as it is experienced in introductory classes and programming as an idealized cognitive activity.