There are known misconceptions about variables which are mostly the same since the first studies since more than 30 years ago. Consciousness about the misconceptions in programming can be crucial for teaching and learning programming for novices because, if we are aware of them, maybe we can minimise or even prevent them. Researchers mostly…

Computational Thinking (CT) is an increasingly relevant concept that researchers are promoting in formal learning contexts. In their mission to prepare teachers to integrate CT into K-12 schooling, teacher educators would benefit from understanding the different kinds of preconceptions of CT that their students bring to the classroom in order to…

Persistent conceptual bugs exist in how novices, from primary school to college age, program and understand programs. These bugs are not specific to a given programming language but appear to be language-independent. The three different classes of bugs are: (1) parallelism, the assumption that different lines in a program can be active at the same…

Describes a simple 16-item instrument, the Propositional Logic Test (PLT), that is based on Piagetian theory and a study that explored the use of the PLT in diagnosing student misunderstandings. Analysis of individual student responses revealed a number of systematic errors in interpreting the logical operations in the PLT items. (Contains 23…

Despite politicians' claims to the contrary, public schools are not holding back the economy, and most future jobs will require only modest skill growth. Economists attribute today's economic growth not to improved schools, but to greater efficiency, downward price pressure, and experimentation with lower interest rates. (MLH)