Are Variable, Array and Object Diagrams in Java Textbooks Explanative?
Syeda Fatema Mazumder, Celine Latulipe, Manuel A. Pérez-Quiñones · 2020
Diagrams in textbooks are an essential tool to explain concepts. Aneffective diagram should help a novice learner to build a runnable mental model, increase recall, and improve problem-solving skills. Richard Mayer and others suggest that to have an impact on the readers' mental model, diagrams must document two major features:system topology andcomponent behavior. The presence of these two features makes a diagramexplanative. In this paper, we propose a framework of what constitutesexplanative diagram for variables, arrays, and objects based on Mayer et al.'s definition. We used our framework to analyze diagrams of variables, arrays, and objects in 15 commonly used introductory Java textbooks to ascertain how these concepts are illustrated, annotated and explained. Our results show that none of the textbooks provide what we would consider as explanative diagrams. We conclude with an assessment of diagrams in introductory programming textbooks and present open questions for further study.