The Influence of Pair Programming on Secondary School Students’ Confidence and Achievement in Computer Programming

The purpose of this embedded case study is to explore the possible influence of pair programming on secondary school students’ confidence and achievement in computer programming. A total of 35 students in a fifth-grade class were divided into individual (n=13) and pair programmers (n=22), who then used Scratch programming activities during an eight week implementation. Qualitative data were collected with interviews and quantitative data were collected with a confidence questionnaire and rubrics. Content analysis and independent-samples t tests were conducted for data analysis. The results showed that pair programmers’ confidence and achievement for computer programming was higher compared to individual programmers after the implementation. The study supports the use of pair programming in secondary schools, especially where there are limited numbers of computers, competitive students, and novice programmers to increase the confidence and achievement in computer programming