Investigating and improving novice programmers’ mental models of programming concepts

.................................................................................................................................III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..........................................................................................................IV PUBLICATIONS........................................................................................................................... V CONTENTS..................................................................................................................................VI CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................. 1 1.1 RESEARCH QUESTIONS .......................................................................................................... 3 1.2 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES ....................................................................................................... 3 1.3 CONTRIBUTIONS .................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 OUTLINE OF THE THESIS........................................................................................................ 4 1.5 TIMELINE OF THE EMPIRICAL STUDIES ................................................................................. 6 CHAPTER 2 THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE OF CONSTRUCTIVISM, MENTAL MODELS, AND COGNITIVE CONFLICT .................................................................................. 9 2.1 CONSTRUCTIVISM.................................................................................................................. 9 2.1.1 The Principles of Constructivism.................................................................................... 9 2.1.2 Constructivism in Computer Science Education........................................................... 14 2.2 MENTAL MODELS................................................................................................................ 15 2.2.1 What are Mental Models? ............................................................................................ 15 2.2.2 The Functions of Mental Models ................................................................................. 18 2.2.3 The Characteristics of Mental Models.......................................................................... 18 2.3 COGNITIVE CONFLICT ......................................................................................................... 20 2.3.1 Piaget’s Equilibrium Theory ........................................................................................ 21 2.3.2 Conceptual Change Model (CCM) ............................................................................... 23 2.3.3 Cognitive Conflict Process Model................................................................................. 25 2.4 SUMMARY............................................................................................................................ 27 CHAPTER 3 -RELATED WORK ON MENTAL MODEL STUDIES, VISUALIZATION, AND COGNITIVE CONFLICT ................................................................................................... 29 3.1 INVESTIGATING THE MENTAL MODELS HELD BY NOVICE PROGRAMMERS ......................... 29 3.1.1 Dehnadi and Bornat’s (2006) Study on the Consistency of the Mental Models Held by Beginning Students ......................................................................................................... 32 3.1.2 Sasse’s (1997) Study of the Mental Models of the Prolog Programming Language. 36 3.1.3 Bayman and Mayer’s (1983) Study of the Mental Models of BASIC Programs ........ 39 3.1.4 Kahney’s (1983) Study of the Mental Models of Recursion .......................................... 41 3.1.5 Kurland & Pea’s (1985) Study of the Mental Models of Recursion .............................. 44