The Effects of Native Language on Block-Based Programming Introduction: A Work in Progress with Hispanic Population
Pedro Guillermo Feijóo-García, Keith McNamara, Jacob Stuart · 2020
Computer Science (CS) is an English-centric discipline which still needs to explore how cultural factors such as learners' native language may impact the understanding of CS concepts. We evaluated adult participants with no prior coding experience performing tasks in a conventional block-based programming platform: Scratch. We collected data from these interactions and compared between Native-English speakers, and Hispanic speakers who knew English as a Second Language (ESL). Our findings suggest that learners” native language may not impact their ability to come to a proper solution, but it does affect how they interact with block-based environments, when their native language is inconsistent with the language featured in the tool. This pilot study invites the Computer Science Education (CS ED) community to explore how to effectively reach Hispanic and non-English speaking communities, impacting the community outreach in other regions.