Can learning a programming language affect metacognitive beliefs and science beliefs of junior high school students
William Chivers, David H. McKinnon · Charles Sturt University Research Output (CRO) · 2002
The effects of learning the computer programming language Logo on metacognition has been the subject of much educational research. The effect of Logo on the restructuring of science beliefs of junior high school students by the transfer of higher order skills from one domain to another has received less attention. This paper reports the results of an attempt to alter students' expected transmissive metacognitive beliefs by teaching them Logo so that they would, perhaps, be more willing to restructure their science beliefs. This research finds strong evidence that a science teaching method derived from the constructivist model of learning combined with a Logo teaching environment is successful in persuading students to restructure their science beliefs. The effects of Logo on metacognitive beliefs and higher order skill transfer, however, are inconclusive. Directions for future research in this area are suggested.