The question of whether to teach computer programming to elementary and secondary students has been widely debated. This study examines the relationship between computer programming experience, mathematics experience, and general variable skill. The sample consisted of 46 students (aged 9 to 17) at a summer computer camp. The programming level was…

Educational microworlds are defined and their potential for developing learners' thought processes is hypothesized to be more realizable than has previously been thought. A structured programing methodology that uses a point-and-click technique and that requires little syntactic sophistication on the part of the participant is presented. (LB)

Explored relationships among gender, play style, and skilled performance in LOGO computer-based tasks of four-year-old children. Found no significant gender differences in play styles and LOGO skills. Predictors of LOGO competence were differentiated by gender. Suggests that boys' and girls' routes to competence differ, though both genders display…

Examines factors related to computer anxiety measured by the Computer Anxiety Index (CAIN). Achievement in two programing courses was inversely related to computer anxiety. Students who had a home computer and had computer experience before high school had lower computer anxiety than those who had not. Lists 14 references. (YP)

Provided is an overview and analysis of recent progress in applying electronic information technology to creation of new environments for intellectual work in mathematics. Describes the impact of numerical computation, graphic computation, symbolic computation, multiple representation of information, programing and information, and artificial…

Examines some correlates of programing ability that can predict the computer programing performance of students. Finds that students who score high on mathematics and spatial tests will score high on programing ability tests. Finds that boys perform significantly better than girls in programing ability, as do those who possess home computers. (KO)

This report presents preliminary descriptive data from a national survey of U.S. elementary schools, conducted in 1985, which focused on the schools' instructional uses of computers, including efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Specific topic areas covered include: (1) what hardware is in different types of schools; (2) which teachers use the…

Reports on a research study which investigated the nature of preschool children's choices concerning computer-based learning activities. Notes that the results failed to show evidence of calculated goal setting or progression from easier to more difficult learning tasks. Discusses implications for software development. (RKM)

Presents a study that investigates the knowledge and skills that relate to computer programing. Finds that knowledge and procedural skills are related to computer programing. Recommends that since instruction in computer programing facilitates problem-solving, computer programing courses should be augmented to include teaching template and…

Reports on a comparison of computer instruction at Japanese and American universities and colleges. Discusses hardware, education of students, computer graphics, and cooperative efforts. States that computer hardware in Japan is of high quality, abundant, and inexpensively accessed, and in America there is a stronger, direct instructional…

This study described ways that sixth grade students invented strategies for working out difficult physics problems while using a motion program in the computer environment "Boxer." Strategies became a communal classroom resource and ground rules for their use were negotiated with the teacher. (MDH)

As a baseline measurement of what is being learned about computers in California, the skills, knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of a representative sample of 17,861 high school seniors was assessed in December 1982. Developed by a committee of experts in computer technology drawn from the public school system, universities, and industry, the…

Research directed toward a better understanding of the computer user/computer machine relationship has increased in recent years. To identify what factors may predict success in computer programming, 286 college students from three computer classes (160 from introductory programming; 60 from Cobol programming; and 66 from senior level programming)…

The development of a powerful learning environment aiming at the acquisition and transfer of general thinking skills through learning to program in LOGO was studied. The following conditions were sought: (1) sufficient knowledge of the LOGO primitives and concepts; (2) mastery of the thinking skills within the programming context; and (3) explicit…

This narrative depicts how one university utilized doctoral interns to aid in the transition of a student management system from manual to computerized student records. Findings included the statement that the benefits gained from a computerized student records system outweigh the pain of the conversion process for all personnel using the student…