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2020 | OriginalPaper | Buchkapitel

Decoding Source Code Comprehension: Bottlenecks Experienced by Senior Computer Science Students

verfasst von : Pakiso J. Khomokhoana, Liezel Nel

Erschienen in: ICT Education

Verlag: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

Source code comprehension (SCC) continues to be a challenge to undergraduate CS students. Understanding the mental processes that students follow while comprehending source code can be crucial in helping students to overcome related challenges. The ‘Decoding the Disciplines’ (DtDs) paradigm that is gaining popularity world-wide provides a process to help students to master the mental actions they need to be successful in a specific discipline. In focusing on the first DtDs step of identifying mental obstacles (“bottlenecks”), this paper describes a study aimed at uncovering the major SCC bottlenecks that senior CS students experienced. We followed an integrated methodological approach where data were collected by asking questions, observations, and artefact analysis. Thematic analysis of the collected data revealed a series of SCC difficulties specifically related to arrays, programming logic, and control structures. The identified difficulties, including findings from the literature as well as our own teaching experiences, were used to compile a usable list of SCC bottlenecks. By focusing on senior students (instead of first-year students), the identified SCC bottlenecks point to learning difficulties that need to be addressed in introductory CS courses.

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Titel: Decoding Source Code Comprehension: Bottlenecks Experienced by Senior Computer Science Students
verfasst von: Pakiso J. Khomokhoana
Liezel Nel
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Buch: ICT Education
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-35628-6

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-030-35629-3

Copyright-Jahr: 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35629-3_2

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