摘要：Problem solving skills are considered an important component in learning to program
in an introductory programming (IP) course for novices. This study introduced a PROSOLVE
game to enhance problem solving skills of novice programmers in the introductory programming
course. The game is based on pseudo-code technique. A survey was employed to collect students’
feedback and semi-structured interviews were organized to collect instructors’ opinion about the
game. The results show that the game helped most of the students in understanding the programming
concepts, structures and problem solving strategies. Moreover, the game supports students’
cognitive engagement, gains, and affective engagement in the IP course. Instructors appreciated
the game and considered it as an additional supporting teaching tool in the IP course. Moreover,
they considered the game as good alternative of traditional pen and paper learning approach in
attracting students’ interest in the programming domain.
关键词：learning to program; problem solving skills; computer programming; pseudo;code
technique; educational game;
