How do they understand? Practitioner perceptions of an object-oriented program : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education (Computer Science) at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
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Date
2008
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Massey University
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Abstract
In the computer science community, there is considerable debate about the appropriate
sequence for introducing object-oriented concepts to novice programmers. Research
into novice programming has struggled to identify the critical aspects that would
provide a consistently successful approach to teaching introductory object-oriented
programming. Starting from the premise that the conceptions of a task determine the
type of output from the task, assisting novice programmers to become aware of what the
required output should be, may lay a foundation for improving learning. This study
adopted a phenomenographic approach. Thirty one practitioners were interviewed about
the ways in which they experience object-oriented programming and categories of
description and critical aspects were identified. These critical aspects were then used to
examine the spaces of learning provided in twenty introductory textbooks. The study
uncovered critical aspects that related to the way that practitioners expressed their
understanding of an object-oriented program and the influences on their approach to
designing programs. The study of the textbooks revealed a large variability in the cover
of these critical aspects.
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Keywords
Novice programmers, Teaching