An examination of the employment of the pair programming methodology as a collaborative instructional scaffold on college student procedural learning and programming self-beliefs

<p>Using a concurrent mixed methods case study approach, this study investigated the impact of employing the pair programming methodology as a collaborative instructional scaffold on student programming procedural knowledge and programming-related self-beliefs in an introductory computer programming course offered at a large university located in the Midwestern United States. Employing a design research theoretical perspective in a natural educational setting, the study used course performance data, survey data, and researcher observations to educe that employment of the pair programming methodology as a collaborative instructional scaffold facilitated a more efficient learning process as well as a learning process less reliant on instructors. However, employment of the scaffold did not facilitate any significant difference in amount of procedural knowledge ultimately learned by students. In essence: students learned faster and with less instructor assistance, but not more. Data was collected during a single semester of the course which had a final enrollment of 76 undergraduate students from science and technology disciplines. Analysis was primarily quantitative in nature, with qualitative data being quantified where possible. Findings were based on a cooperative learning theoretical framework, and results were analyzed to identify differential impact of the instructional scaffold by factors of interest to classroom practitioners.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Computer and Information Technology

Year

2016

Author dc:creator

• Erdei, Ronald

Contributors dc:contributor

• John A. Springer
• David M. Whittinghill
• Shirl Donaldson
• James L. Mohler

• Pedagogy
• Applied sciences
• Education
• Collaborative learning
• Computer programming
• Pair programming
• Procedural knowledge
• Scaffolding
• Time on task
• Educational Psychology

Repository record dc:identifier

https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations/753

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:docs.lib.purdue.edu:open_access_dissertations-1945