Top

Education and Information Technologies

Published in:

02-05-2018

Gender differences in an introductory programming course: New teaching approach, students’ learning outcomes, and perceptions

Authors: Sohail Iqbal Malik, Jo Coldwell-Neilson

Published in: Education and Information Technologies | Issue 6/2018

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

This study reports on gender differences in an introductory programming (IP) course that uses a new teaching and learning approach based on the ADRI (Approach, Deployment, Result, Improvement) model. The teaching materials of the IP course were redesigned based on the new approach. The grades of the final exam were compared to determine the impact of the new teaching and learning approach on genders. A survey was conducted to collect students’ feedback. The responses of the survey were compared for each question among genders and T-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyse the data. The results show that female students performed better in the high achiever category and male students performed better in the medium and low achiever categories in the final exam. The survey responses indicated that male students were more satisfied than female students with the new teaching and learning approach. The four stages of the ADRI approach support students’ cognitive gains and engagement. The students’ retention was higher which supports students’ affective engagement in the IP course. Overall, both the female and male students appreciate the ADRI approach in the IP course.

previous article The effect of simulation games on learning computer programming: A comparative study on high school students’ learning performance by assessing computational problem-solving strategies

next article The moderating effect of experience on the intention to adopt mobile social network sites for pedagogical purposes: An extension of the technology acceptance model

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Available only for authorised users

Al-Sebaie, F.Y. (2010). Bahraini women in the information technology profession in the public sector: A gender perspective, International Conference on Women and Youth in Arab Development, Cairo, Egypt, pp. 22-24, March 2010.

Anderson, T., & Kanuka, H. (2003). E-research: Methods, strategies and issues. 1^st Edition. Allyn & Bacon.

Andersson, J., Fuentes, A., Johansson, A., & Nilsson, P. (2004). Gender and programming: A case study. LTH: Projects and Conference Reports-Genombrottet http://journals.lub.lu.se/ojs/index.php/KG/article/view/5900, Accessed April 2017.

Archambault, I., Janosz, M., Fallu, J. S., & Pagani, L. S. (2009). Student engagement and its relationship with early high school dropout. Journal of Adolescence, 32(3), 651–670.CrossRef

Ben-Ari, M. (2001). Constructivism in computer science. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science., 20(1), 45–73.

Biggs, J.B. (2003). Teaching for quality learning at University’, Second Edition, Buckingham open university press, Open University Press, Innovations in Education and Teaching International, Vol. 50, No. 4.

Broad, S., McGee, M. (2014). Recruiting women into computer science and information systems, In Proceedings of the 47th Annual Conference ASCUE, USA.

Ceci, S. J., Williams, W. M., & Barnett, S. M. (2009). Women’s under representation in science: Socio cultural and biological considerations. Psychological Bulletin, 135, 218–261. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014412.CrossRef

Cheryan, S., Master, A., & Meltzoff, A. N. (2015). Cultural stereotypes as gatekeepers: Increasing girls’ interest in computer science and engineering by diversifying stereotypes. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 49.CrossRef

Denner, J., Werner, L., Bean, S., & Campe, S. (2005). The girls creating games program: Strategies for engaging middle-school girls in information technology. Frontiers: A Journal of Women Studies, 26(1), 90–98.CrossRef

De-Raadt, M. (2008). Teaching programming strategies explicitly to novice programmers, PhD thesis, University of Southern Queensland, Australia, retrieved June 2013, USQ ePrints.

Ehrlinger, J., & Dunning, D. (2003). How chronic self-views influence (and potentially mislead) estimates of performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 5–17. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.1.5.CrossRef

Funke, A., Berges, M., Mühling, A. & Hubwieser, P. (2015). Gender differences in programming: Research results and teachers’ perception, In Proceedings of the 15th Koli Calling Conference on Computer Education Research, ACM, Finland.

Giannakos, M. N., Jaccheri, L., & Leftheriotis, I. (2014). Happy girls engaging with technology: Assessing emotions and engagement related to programming activities. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 8523, 398–409 Springer.CrossRef

Guzdial, M., & Soloway, E. (2002). Log on education: Teaching the Nintendo generation to program. Communications of the ACM, 45(4), 17–21.CrossRef

Iqbal, S., & Harsh, O. K. (2013). A self-review and external review model for teaching and assessing novice programmers. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 2(3), 120–123.CrossRef

Ismail, M.N., Ngah, N.A., Umar, I.N. (2010) Instructional Strategy in the Teaching of Computer Programming: A Need Assessment Analyses, TOJET : The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, Vol. 9, Issue. 2.

Lagesen, V. A. (2008). A Cyberfeminist Utopia?: Perceptions of Gender and Computer Science among Malaysian Women Computer Science Students and Faculty. Science, Technology & Human Values, Vol. 33, No. 1.CrossRef

Lahtinen, E., Ala-Mutka, K., & Järvinen, H. M. (2005). A study of the difficulties of novice programmers. ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, 37(3), 14–18.CrossRef

Lau, W. W., & Yuen, A. H. (2009). Exploring the effects of gender and learning styles on computer programming performance: Implications for programming pedagogy. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40, 696–712. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2008.00847.x.CrossRef

Malik, I.S. (2016a) Role of ADRI model in teaching and assessing novice programmers, Doctoral dissertation, Deakin University, http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30088862

Malik, I.S. (2016b). Enhancing practice and achievement in introductory programming using an ADRI editor, In Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment and Learning for Engineering (pp. 32-39) IEEE, Thailand, 7-9 December, https://doi.org/10.1109/TALE.2016.7851766 .

Malik, S. I. (2018). Improvements in introductory programming course: Action research insights and outcomes. Systemic Practice and Action Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11213-018-9446-y Springer.

Malik, S.I. & Al-Emran, M. (2018) Social factors influence on career choices for female computer science students, International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET) (In press).

Malik, S. I., & Coldwell-Neilson, J. (2016). A model for teaching an introductory programming course using ADRI. Education and Information Technologies, Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-016-9474-0.CrossRef

Malik, S. I., & Coldwell-Neilson, J. (2017a). Impact of a new teaching and learning approach in an introductory programming course. Journal of Educational Computing Research, SAGE. https://doi.org/10.1177/0735633116685852.CrossRef

Malik, S. I., & Coldwell-Neilson, J. (2017b). Comparison of traditional and ADRI based teaching approaches in an introductory programming course. Journal of Information Technology Education: Research, 16, 267–283 Retrieved from http://www.informingscience.org/Publications/3793.CrossRef

Malik, S.I., Mathew, R., Hammood, M. (2017). PROBSOL: A web-based application to develop problem-solving skills in introductory programming, In Proceedings of 1st international research conference, 15–16 November, Dubai, UAE, Springer (In press).

Malik, S.I., Shakir, M., Eldow, A., Waseem, M. (2018). Revisiting the teaching materials of an introductory programming course, MIC2018: Majan College's International Conference, 19–20 March, IEEE (In press).

McDougall, A., & Boyle, M. (2004). Student strategies for learning computer programming: Implications for pedagogy in informatics. Education and Information Technologies, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:EAIT.0000027924.69726.b5.CrossRef

Meltzoff, A. N. (2013). Origins of social cognition: bidirectional self-other mapping and the “Like-Me” hypothesis. In M. Banaji & S. Gelman (Eds.), In Navigating the Social World: What Infants, Children, and Other Species Can Teach us. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Milne, I. & Rowe, G. (2002). Difficulties in Learning and Teaching Programming—Views of Students and Tutors, Education and Information Technologies, 7(1), 55–66CrossRef

Moss-Racusin, C. A., Dovidio, J. F., Brescoll, V. L., Graham, M. J., & Handelsman, J. (2012). Science faculty’s subtle gender biases favor male students. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109, 16464–16479. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1211286109.CrossRef

Nulty, D.D. (2008). The adequacy of response rates to online and paper surveys: what can be done? Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 33, No. 3, pp. 301–314, Taylor & Francis.

Pappas, I., Aalberg, T., Giannakos, M., Letizia-Jaccheri, M., & Mikalefog Guttorm Sindre, P. (2016). Gender differences in computer science education: Lessons learnt from an empirical study at NTNU, In Proceedings of Norwegian Informatics Conference NIK 2016, Bergen, Norway.

Prensky, M.R. (2012). From digital natives to digital wisdom: Hopeful essays for 21^st century learning. 1st Edition. SAGE.

Razvi, S., Trevor-Roper, S., Goodliffe, T., Al-Habsi, F., & Al-Rawahi, A. (2012). Evolution of OAAA strategic planning: Using ADRI as an analytical tool to review its activities and strategic planning’, In Proceedings of Seventh Annual International Conference on Strategic Planning for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Universities and Educational Arab Institutions, Cairo, Egypt.

Rubio, M. A., Romero-Zaliz, R., Mañoso, C., & de Madrid, A. P. (2015). Closing the gender gap in an introductory programming course. Comput. Educ, 82, 409–420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.12.003.CrossRef

Rudman, L. A. (1998). Self-promotion as a risk factor for women: The costs and benefits of counter stereotypical impression management. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 74, 629–645. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.74.3.629.CrossRef

Sadker, M., & Sadker, D. (1994). Failing at fairness: How America’s schools cheat girls. New York: Scribner.

Sykes, E. R. (2007). Determining the effectiveness of the 3D Alice programming environment at the computer science I level. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 36(2), 223–244.CrossRef

Ten-Berge, T., & Van-Henewijk, R. (1999). Procedural and declarative knowledge: An evolutionary perspective. Theory and Psychology, 5(5), 605–624.CrossRef

Toutkoushian, R. K., & Smart, J. C. (2001). Do institutional characteristics affect student gains from college? The Review of Higher Education, 25(1), 39–61.CrossRef

Walonick, D.S. (2010). A selection from survival statistics, Bloomington: Stat Pac Inc., retrieved on October, 02, 2015, https://youthsextion.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/03statistics.pdf

Watson, C., & Li, F.W.B. (2014). Failure rates in introductory programming revisited. In Proceedings of ITiCSE, ACM, Uppsala, Sweden.

Webster, M. (1994). Overview of programming and problem solving, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition, retrieved on July15, 2013, <computerscience.jbpub.com/vbnet/pdfs/mcmillan01.pdf>.

Xinogalos, S. (2016). Designing and deploying programming courses: Strategies, tools, difficulties and pedagogy. Education and Information Technologies, 21(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-014-9341-9.CrossRef

Yadin, A. (2011). Reducing the dropout rates in an introductory programming course. ACM Inroads, 2(4), 71–76.CrossRef

Yukselturk, E., & Bulut, S. (2009). Gender differences in self-regulated online learning environment. Educational Technology & Society, 12(3), 12–22.

Zingaro, D. (2015). Examining interest and grades in computer science 1: A study of pedagogy and achievement goals’, Transactions of Computer Education, Vol. 15, No. 3, ACM.CrossRef

Title: Gender differences in an introductory programming course: New teaching approach, students’ learning outcomes, and perceptions
Authors: Sohail Iqbal Malik
Jo Coldwell-Neilson
Publication date: 02-05-2018
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Education and Information Technologies / Issue 6/2018
Print ISSN: 1360-2357
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7608
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-018-9725-3

Springer Professional

Abstract

Please log in to get access to your license.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Springer Professional "Technik"

Other articles of this Issue 6/2018

Are preservice teachers really literate enough to integrate technology in their classroom practice? Determining the technology literacy level of preservice teachers

The effect of direct instruction and web quest on learning outcome in computer science education

Multidimensional analysis of efficacy of multimedia learning in development and sustained development of textuality in EFL writing performances

Big data for online learning systems

Developing effective educative games for Arabic children primarily dyslexics

Blended learning and traditional learning: A comparative study of college mechanics courses

Premium Partner