In the 21st century, the ubiquitous nature of technology today is evident and to a large extent, most of us benefit from the modern convenience brought about by technology. Yet to be technology literate, it is argued that learning to program still plays an important role. One area of research in programming concerns the identification of…

It has been advocated that pedagogical content knowledge as well as subject matter knowledge are important for improving classroom instructions. To develop pedagogical content knowledge, it is argued that understanding of students' mental representations of concepts is deemed necessary. Yet assessing and comparing mental model of each individual…

Computer programming has been taught in secondary schools for more than two decades. However, little is known about how students learn to program. From the curriculum implementation perspectives, learning style helps address the issue of learner differences, resulting in a shift from a teacher-centred approach to a learner-focused approach. This…

Interviewed 12 computer studies faculty in Hong Kong about their perspectives on teaching computer programming; organized data into themes. Concluded that teachers rely on a "mind as container" understanding of knowledge and learning that would be better replaced with a connectionist view of the mind. (EV)

Extensive studies have been conducted on programming knowledge, instructional environments and effective pedagogies in order to improve the teaching and learning of computer programming. However, there have been few studies on the usefulness and effectiveness of using simulation. The aim of this paper is two-fold: to describe the design and…