In recent years, computing education researchers have investigated the impact of problem context on students' learning and programming performance. This work continues the investigation motivated, in part, by cognitive load theory and educational research in computer science and other disciplines. The results of this study could help inform…

This study explores the effects of worked-out examples and metacognitive scaffolding on novice learners' knowledge performance, cognitive loads, and self-regulation skills in problem-solving programming. 126 undergraduate students in a computer programming fundamentals course were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (1) task performance with…

There is substantial evidence that incorporating interactive environments for game-based instruction has a significant potential to support the development of computational thinking and programming skills in primary education students. However, it is not clear whether a simulation game (SG) with different user interface elements, created via…

Despite increased interest in integrating programming education into K-12 programs, there is a lack of studies on teaching debugging to younger age groups. Therefore, this study proposes practical design components for designing unplugged debugging tasks that affect young learners' debugging performance, problem-solving, and self-efficacy,…

This paper investigated the effect of block-based programming and unplugged coding teaching activities on fifth graders' computational thinking skills, self-efficacy, and academic performance. The teaching activities were conducted within the scope of the "Problem-Solving and Programming" unit of the Information Technologies and Software…

Large language models present new opportunities for teaching and learning. The response accuracy of these models, however, is believed to depend on the prompt quality which can be a challenge for students. In this study, we aimed to explore how undergraduate students use ChatGPT for problem-solving, what prompting strategies they develop, the link…

In Hungary, K-12 informatics/computer science education focuses on mostly surface-based methods. This approach can be observed in the teaching of several topics in the subject, of which we focus on spreadsheet management. This is further emphasized by regulatory documents -- the Hungarian National Core Curriculum and Hungarian Curriculum…

This study aims to evaluate the teaching of the programming process carried out through scenarios related to daily life within the framework of Reverse Engineering and the Theory of Didactical Situations. The sample of the study consists of 15 prospective computer and instructional technology education teachers. Quantitative and qualitative data…

Scholars believe that computational thinking is one of the essential competencies of the 21st century and computer programming courses have been recognized as a potential means of fostering students' computational thinking. In tradition instruction, PFCT (problem identification, flow definition, coding, and testing) is a commonly adopted procedure…

Distributed self-assessments and reflections empower learners to take the lead on their knowledge gaining evaluation. Both provide essential elements for practice and self-regulation in learning settings. Nowadays, many sources for practice opportunities are made available to the learners, especially in the Computer Science (CS) and programming…

A teaching approach plays an important role in teaching and learning process of an introductory programming (IP) course. The teaching approach should focus on different programming skills required by novice programmers. In this study, we introduced the teaching and learning approach based on an ADRI (Approach, Deployment, Result, Improvement)…

Background: Group size is one of the important factors that affect collaborative learning, however, there is no consensus in the literature on how many students should the groups be composed of during the problem-solving process. Objectives: This study investigated the effect of group size in a K-12 introductory Artificial Intelligence course by…

Fostering students' computer programming skills has become an important educational issue in the globe. However, it remains a challenge for students to understand those abstract concepts when learning computer programming, implying the need to provide instant learning diagnosis and feedback in computer programming activities. In this study, a…

Coding education has been offered to primary school students due to certain reasons: (1) coding improves students' problem solving and creative thinking skills; and (2) it has high visual-quality and easy-to-use block-based tools. In this study, the effects of coding education on 4th grade students' self-efficacy and scratch coding achievement…

Nowadays, SPOCs (Small Private Online Courses) have been used as complementary methods to support classroom teaching. SPOCs are courses that apply the usage of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses), combining classroom with online education, making them an exciting alternative for contexts such as emergency remote teaching. Although SPOCs have been…