ABSTRACT
154This chapter addresses major pedagogical concerns in computer programming instruction. The authors identify three sources of difficulty common to many novice programmers: (1) a “fragile knowledge” of the domain, (2) a notable shortfall in elementary problem-solving strategies, and (3) attitudinal problems of confidence and control. The authors then discuss a “metacourse” designed to address these programming difficulties. The metacourse intervention consists of a series of lessons that supplements a teacher’s BASIC introductory curriculum, introducing a set of problem-solving strategies as well as a visual model of the computer. Results from a recent experiment indicate a substantial positive effect of the metacourse on programming performance of beginning BASIC students. Treatment groups outperformed control groups in all major categories, including simple commands, hand execution, debugging, and program production. A measure of general cognitive skills transfer was administered with less promising results. Implications for future programming instruction are discussed.
