The effect of a constructivist learning environment for field-dependent/independent students on achievement in introductory computer programming
David Corley Gibbs · 2000
Research was conducted to determine the effect of a constructivist learning environment upon field dependent (FD) and field independent (FI) students' achievement in an introductory computer programming course.Prior research in traditional environments had established a correlation between field dependence / independence (FD/I) and the design stage of programming.A correlational design was followed, using introductory computer science students in their first programming course.A pretest of BASIC programming ability was given to assess baseline proficiency.The Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT) was given to assess each subject's measure of FDfl.A constructivist model for learning programming was implemented.Achievement tests in two of the stages of programming, design and coding were administered.As additional dependent variables, student construction of programming elements -the design (semantic) elements, and the language-specific coding (syntax) elements -were collected in a portfolio and examined for both qualitative and quantitative differences.No significant correlations were found between FDfl and the achievement scores of design and coding.No correlation was expected between FD/I and coding.There was no interaction between FD/I and design versus coding.The correlation between FD/I and the quantity of reconstructed programming elements was not significant.The correlation between FD/I and the quality of