Practical Report of Studying Unknown Programming Languages through Pictogram Contents Creation
Mikihiro Ishii, Kazunari Ito, Martin J. Dürst · 2024
We have developed and proposed a web application called “Pictogramming,” designed to facilitate the learning of fundamental programming concepts through the creation of pictogram content. Pictogramming provides the opportunity to study general-purpose programming languages Python, JavaScript, Ruby, and block-based programming. We focused on research indicating the benefits of studying multiple programming languages, and thought that it is highly significant to design a curriculum for studying multiple programming languages through a unified concept, creation of pictogram contents by utilizing Pictogramming. In this curriculum, university students sequentially studied Python, JavaScript, block-based programming, and Ruby basics through Pictogramming. In the Ruby lesson of the curriculum, which was the final segment, students worked on same tasks as previous languages and answered questionnaires. The results showed that even with relatively simple lessons, students were able to grasp the fundamental concepts of multiple programming languages. Therefore, we have concluded that studying multiple programming languages through a unified concept is an efficient and effective approach.