Due to the rapid development of information technology, acquiring programming knowledge is growing in prominence, and computation thinking becomes a fundamental skill for children just like reading and math. Using the Two-Tier Test-Based Programming Training (T3PT) approach, Hwang and Tung developed an online learning system for beginners and conducted a quasi-experiment to examine the effect of the system on secondary school students’ computer programming learning.
The Two-Tier Test-Based Programming Training (T3PT) consists of two tiers of questions:
- The first tier assesses students’ understanding of the programming concept
- The second tier investigates the reasons for students’ choice in the first tier test to detect whether students have misconceptions about the programming.
The learning system then, based on students’ responses, provides timely precise feedback to students to enhance their understanding of the correct concepts of programming logic.
Two classes of 99 eighth grade students (mean age = 14.2) from Taiwan were divided into an experimental group (n=49, female = 21) and a control group (n=50, female = 24). Students in the experimental group used a learning system based on the T3PT approach, while the control group used a conventional learning system. Both groups were taught by the same teacher using content of Scratch programming for 90-minute learning over 2 weeks. Authors designed measures that were used to assess students’ programming knowledge and programming logic. Problem-solving awareness was assessed with a self-reported questionnaire. The results indicated that:
- After controlling for pre-test scores, there was no significant difference between the two groups in programming knowledge w.r.t. memory-type questions (ES = 0.21). However, the T3PT approach was significantly better than the conventional approach in terms of programming logic-type questions (ES = 0.46).
- After controlling for pre-test scores, the experimental group had significantly higher problem-solving awareness than the control group (ES = 0.47).
- By comparing responses after the training, students in the experimental group had higher satisfaction with the learning approach than the control group, but there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of technology acceptance.
Though the results of this study may not be able to be generalized because of the small sample size, short experimental period, and author designed measures based on learning content, this study does provide preliminary evidence of the impact of the T3PT approach on students’ programming learning achievement. The authors believed this approach can be extended to other environments, such as game-based learning or cooperative learning.
Source: Hwang, G. J., Tung, L. H., & Fang, J. W. (2022). Promoting students’ programming logic and problem-solving awareness with precision feedback: A two-tier test-based online programming training approach. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 07356331221087773. https://doi.org/10.1177/07356331221087773