出版社：International Association for Computer Information Systems
摘要：At IACIS 2007 we presented a pilot research project [13] titled Is the Problematic in CS1 a student’s Problem Solving Ability? The acronym “CS1” refers to first courses in computer programming (and CS0 to a preparatory course). The symptom of the problem was that 40% of the students enrolled in CS1 courses worldwide withdrew, failed or performed poorly. Several studies suggested that a key factor might be that students lack problem solving ability. The pilot study administered three questionnaires, each with a free writing task, to quantify a student’s ability to analyze and identify problems. The results identified one questionnaire that correlated with student’s CS1 course grades and accounted for 60% of the variance final exam scores. That result was motivated a more comprehensive study. The questionnaire was revised to focus on assessing Problem Formulation Ability. The results in this new study provide strong evidence that Problem Formulation Ability affects student performance and that it is one of the components that effectively predicts a student’s CS1 course grade. The objective is to find an instrument to effectively place students in either a CS0 or CS1 course.
