Programming pedagogy—a psychological overview

TLDR

Psychological studies over the past two decades have begun to provide scientific answers to programming pedagogy questions, yet these findings remain largely absent from curricula and textbooks. The report seeks to determine whether undergraduate programs can transform novices into experts, and if not, what the optimal outcomes might be. It offers a concise overview of key research findings and their implications for designing computer programming courses.

Abstract

Can we turn novices into experts in a four year undergraduate program? If so, how? If not, what is the best we can do? While every teacher has his/her own opinion on these questions, psychological studies over the last twenty years have started to furnish scientific answers. Unfortunately, little of these results have been incorporated into curricula or textbooks. This report is a brief overview of some of the more important results concerning computer programming and how they can affect course design.