Abstract:
Research into the psychology of programming has been mostly related to textual programs. The application of the theory of programming to visual programs could be further supported by empirical evidence. Graphical readership, a skill that cannot be ignored in visual programming, has been little explored; similarly the case with regard to the effect of paradigm shift on novice programmers. Our research addresses some of these issues. This paper presents empirical evidence drawn from our experiments of first year students interacting with graphical programs. Results of these experiments provide support for the match-mismatch hypothesis, a control flow bias among novice programmers, and the possibility that prior experience with construction toys such as Lego is one of the determinants for graphical readership.
PPIG 2001 - 13th Annual Workshop
Some Evidence for Graphical Readership, Paradigm Preference, and the Match-Mismatch Conjecture in Graphical Programs