Students in object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD) courses typically encounter difficulties transitioning from object-oriented analysis (OOA) to logical design (OOLD). This study conducted an empirical experiment to examine these learning difficulties by evaluating differences between OOA-to-OOLD and OOLD-to-object-oriented-physical-design…

Involving two or more academic subjects, interdisciplinary studies aim to blend together broad perspectives, knowledge, skills, and epistemology in an educational setting. By focusing on topics or questions too broad for a single discipline to cover, these studies strive to draw connections between seemingly different fields. Cases on…

Because previous research by Bayman and Mayer (1983) suggests that individuals who attempt to learn their first computer language develop a variety of misconceptions of the meanings of individual programming statements, this study investigated whether it is possible to enhance beginning programmers' understanding of the programming statements…

This study concerned conceptual difficulties of college students learning programming and ways the teacher can simplify the process. An analysis of general strategies used in solving problems involving loops is given, with four types of hierarchical strategy categorized. Students had difficulty transforming their algebraic descriptions into…

Designed initially for use in college computer science courses, the model and computer-aided instructional environment (CAIE) described helps students develop algorithmic problem solving skills. Cognitive skills required are discussed, and implications for developing computer-based design environments in other disciplines are suggested by…

This study reports two experiments which indicate that the processes of providing subjects with insightful representations of example programs and guiding subjects through an "ideal" problem solving strategy facilitate learning. A production system model (GRAPES) has been developed that simulates problem-solving and learning in the…

This paper reports the evaluation of instructional provisions designed to foster higher cognitive skill in a computer programming course. This intervention explicitly encourages novice programmers to engage in the problem-solving skill of planning. (Author)

This report enumerates the activities of the Educational Technology Center (ETC) during 1987. The guide's theme for the year was Teaching with Technology. The report includes brief descriptions of five different types of research projects by area. In science education, the projects concerned with weight and density, heat and temperature, and the…

This proceedings contains the texts of 14 science education research studies which were presented at the 1983 Western Australia Science Education Conference. They include: "Students' Understanding of Chemical Equilibrium: A Report of Research in Progress" (Patrick J. Garnett, Mark W. Hackling); "Measuring the Learning Environment in…