Learning styles and performance in the introductory programming sequence

Abstract

This paper reports on the implication of different preferred learning styles on students' performance in the introductory programming sequence and on work in progress on how to accommodate these different styles.Students were given a learning styles preference test and then their preferred learning styles were compared to their performance on the exam and the practical programming part of the introductory programming module. There were significant differences in performance between groups of students.This result could lead one to two possible conclusions. One might be that some students' learning styles are more suited to learning programming than others.An alternative explanation is that our current methods of teaching advantage students with certain learning preference styles. We are at present in the process of testing this second assumption by providing students with a wider range of learning materials. We will then see if student performance is improved by using our current results as a baseline for comparison