Addressing Misconceptions in Introductory Programming: Automated Feedback in Integrated Development Environments
Björn Fischer, F. T. Birk, Eva-Maria Iwer, Sven Eric Panitz, Ralf Dörner · 2023
In recent years, numerous approaches to automated feedback have been presented in the field of programming education. Often, these methods deliver feedback through standalone web-based environments or educational programming environments. However, only few works have explored how such feedback can be provided within Integrated Development Environments (IDEs). We propose MINDFIX, an approach for integrating alternative feedback mechanisms for addressing programming language misconceptions about Java into the Eclipse IDE. These mechanisms include textual hints, code examples, and a personalized pedagogical agent. A laboratory experiment was conducted to investigate their impact on novice programmers in higher education. The results show that MINDFIX addresses missing feedback mechanisms and features. Additionally, there are initial insights that our feedback addresses programming language misconceptions while being perceived as useful and comprehensible. Our findings also suggest that novice programmers with low self-efficacy expectations perceive pedagogical agents as more motivating, useful, and less disruptive compared to their peers.