[[alternative]]The Effects of Pair Programming and Algorithm Visualization in a High School Programming Course

[[abstract]]The study using a quasi-experimental design to investigate the effects of pair programming and algorithm visualization in helping student learn programming. Two classes, with a total of 75, senior high school students enrolled in a programming course served as the subjects of this study. One class of students learned programming in pair , the other class of students learned programming individually. SimSort, an algorithm visualization software developed in this study, was used by both classes of students. The findings of this study are: (1) students who programmed in pair did not perform better than those programmed alone on performance test, but most of them considered pair programming can help them learn programming , reduce bugs in programs , and increase relationship with other students. (2) Students showed little interest in implementing pair programming in future classes. (3) More work need to be done in pairing students and in ensuring their playing the driver/observer role. (4) SimSort helped students learn algorithm concepts, but students did not consider it interesting due to its irrelevant to their daily life..