The effects of two instructional methods on problem-solving ability and Logo programming achievement

The purposes of the study were to define and design two theoretically reasonable instructional methods to teach computer programming, the Context-oriented and the Syntax-oriented instructional methods, and to compare their effects on problem-solving ability with a condition of no programming treatment. The relative effects of these two instructional methods on students' LOGO programming achievements and the relationship between students' LOGO programming achievements and their gains on problem-solving abilities also were examined.To fulfill these research purposes, random assignment and a pre- and post-tests design were employed. The sample participating in this study were 60 seventh grade students in Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C. Two experimental groups and one control group were included. Each group had 20 subjects. Fifteen instructional sessions of one hour were conducted for each experimental group, three sessions per week. At the end of five weeks, half of the subjects from the two experimental groups were randomly selected and interviewed.Findings of this research showed that programming instruction had a positive impact for near transfer to problem-solving ability measured by the Mayer Thinking Skills Test, but not for far transfer to problem-solving ability measured by the Cornell Critical Thinking Test. Also, students who developed more on programming ability tended to gain more on the problem-solving ability, especially on logical reasoning. No significant differences were found on LOGO programming achievement between the two instructional groups.Recommendations for further research included performing item analysis for the two thinking skills instruments, replication of the present study with a longer treatment time, and conducting Aptitude-Treatment Interaction (ATI) study.Instructional goals involving problem-solving skills, instructional methods defined for this study, and instructional materials related to other subject matter were recommended for current programming instruction.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio