Background: A variety of self-directed opportunities to learn how to program are available to kids. But how do kids manage the motivational and cognitive challenges of creating projects? Methods: I examined this question in the context of kids working at home with the Scratch programming environment, based on thematic analysis of semi-structured…

Background: Learning to program and success in computer science requires persistence in the face of challenges. This study contributes to research on the social context of learning by describing how children's peer interactions can support or hinder the pair's problem solving on the computer. Methods: Video recordings from eight pairs of middle…

Subgoal learning, a technique used to break down problem solving into manageable pieces, has been used to promote retention and transfer in procedural domains, such as programming. The primary method of learning subgoals has been passive, and passive learning methods are typically less effective than constructive methods. To promote constructive…

This article examines an informal online community dedicated to "The Tudors," a historical television show, and the ways in which its members engaged with a variety of sources in their discussions of the drama's real-life past. Data were collected over a 5-month period. The analysis included the types of sources used in conversation;…

Many have suggested that tinkering plays a critical role in novices learning to program, and recent work in learning analytics (Baker & Yacef, 2009 Blikstein, 2011) allows us to describe new relationships in the process. Using learning analytics, we explore how students progress from exploration, through tinkering, to refinement, a pathway…

New high-frequency, automated data collection and analysis algorithms could offer new insights into complex learning processes, especially for tasks in which students have opportunities to generate unique open-ended artifacts such as computer programs. These approaches should be particularly useful because the need for scalable project-based and…

Electronic Blocks are a new programming environment designed specifically for children aged between 3 and 8 years. These physical, stackable blocks include sensor blocks, action blocks, and logic blocks. By connecting these blocks, children can program a wide variety of structures that interact with one another and the environment. Electronic…

Assesses the cognitive consequences of reflective teaching practices compared to inquiry teaching practices on the acquisition and transfer of LOGO computer programming for 2nd- and 5th-grade students. Finds that children that participated in the reflective context developed beliefs about programming practices that were tightly coupled with their…

Argues that a focus on building an authoring tool for a complete learning environment is misplaced. Analyzes the task of authoring a commercial educational system. Describes the Visual Translator, an authoring tool written specifically for this purpose. (Author/CCM)

Presents a prototype authoring tool for interactive educational software called Investigate and Decide Learning Environments (IDLE-Tool). Introduces IDLE-Tool as the task model around which the tool is based. A model of the authoring process called Guided Case Adaptation is offered as an approach to employing models and an exemplar to effectively…

The notion of scaffolding learners to help them succeed in solving problems otherwise too difficult for them is an important idea that has extended into the design of scaffolded software tools for learners. However, although there is a growing body of work on scaffolded tools, scaffold design, and the impact of scaffolding, the field has not yet…

Describes tools for authoring all aspects of a knowledge-based tutor system: domain model, teaching strategies, student model, and learning environment. Discusses a number of design issues and design tradeoffs that are involved in building intelligent tutoring systems (ITS). (Author/CCM)