Wanted

Abstract

This paper reports research on the effect of prior programming experience on success in an objects-first CS1. In an objects-first, approach students are taught from the very beginning to think in terms of objects and the fundamentals of object-oriented programming, encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism. These concepts are introduced before traditional selection and iterative constructs. The finding that students with prior programming experience do not do better than those without such experience flies in the face of conventional wisdom.