Elsa Mentz

The effect of incorporating cooperative learning principles in pair programming for student teachers

Based on their quantitative and qualitative investigations, the authors conclude that pair programming as a strategy for teaching student teachers could be made more effective through the incorporation of principles associated with cooperative learning. They substantiate this claim by referring to a literature study about the advantages and disadvantages of pair programming as a teaching-learning strategy, by then discussing five principles of cooperative learning, and by presenting the findings of their empirical study. Second year student teachers taking a Delphi programming module participated in an experiment conducted over a two year period. In 2005, the participants did computer programming in pairs without the application of principles associated with cooperative learning. In 2006, a similar group of participants also programmed in pairs, but in their case, certain principles associated with cooperative learning were incorporated in the strategy followed by the facilitator. According to a comparison of the module examination marks, the 2006 group outperformed the 2005 group. This finding was confirmed by qualitative investigations.

Assessment Strategies for Pair Programming

Assessing only the outcomes of a pair programming assignment and awarding each member of the pair the same score may not be a reliable reflection of individual programming abilities; it may result in a discrepancy between students’ individual and pair programming marks. The aim of our study was to answer the following question: Do combined self, peer, and facilitator assessment strategies for pair programming contribute towards a more reliable assessment of individual programming abilities? In our study, all three types of assessments were conducted after the completion of every pair programming assignment. In each case, we used rubrics containing specific assessment criteria. These rubrics were provided to students at the beginning of every pair programming assignment. The facilitator gave formative feedback to students after completion of a pair programming assignment and thereafter when an individual test was written.

Pair Programming and Secondary School Girls' Enjoyment of Programming and the Subject Information Technology (IT)

This paper reports on a qualitative study that examined how pair programming shapes the experience of secondary school girls taking IT as a subject, with respect to their enjoyment of programming and the subject itself. The study involved six Grade 11 girls who were doing solo programming in Grade 10 and pair programming in their following Grade. The results showed that the girls enjoyed the subject more when programming in pairs due to improved comprehension of the task. They especially enjoyed the socialization and communication brought about by pair programming. The assistance, support, motivation, focus and encouragement they received from partners when stuck or while fixing errors made the programming experience more enjoyable for them. The increased enjoyment brought about by pair programming resulted in the perception of greater learning in the subject IT and also to greater interest in it. It also led to greater persistence in dealing with problems. Pair programming should be implemented right from the start of Grade 10 since it may lead to greater enjoyment of programming and the subject IT in general. The approach may also lead to more girls being attracted to the subject.

The school subject information technology: a South African perspective

In this paper our presupposition is that the content knowledge of the school subject Information Technology (IT) is beyond the expected depth of Grade 12 learners. We demonstrate our presupposition by indicating different concerns from principals, teachers and learners. We show that learners have not achieved the stated outcomes as specified in the National Curriculum Statement and Learning Programme Guidelines. In addition, we compare the United Kingdoms leading award body for A-Level qualifications for Computing with the IT content framework of South Africa. We recommend a revision of the content framework to accommodate all learners and equip them with a more balanced knowledge base of the subject field.

In-service training for technology teachers: A needs assessment

Abstract The purpose of this article is to motivate the need for in-service training for technology teachers and to provide guidelines for short-course training programmes, based on limitations identified in the literature and the empirical study. Models for the development of in-service training programmes are discussed, with further elaboration on a model that focuses on the content, context, process, structure and strategy as the variables that will guide the further design, implementation and evaluation of an in-service training programme. The results from a needs analysis of technology teachers and technology subject advisors on in-service training are presented. From these results and the limitations discussed in the article, guidelines for the design and implementation of inservice training programmes are presented.

Lessons Learned from Teaching Scratch as an Introduction to Object-oriented Programming in Delphi

As part of curriculum changes in South Africa, an introductory programming language, Scratch, must first be taught before switching to the well-established teaching of Delphi. The nature of programming in Scratch is considerably different from that in Delphi. It was assumed that the teaching of Scratch as introductory programming language could support learners’ understanding of Delphi. Teachers did not receive much training in Scratch. This study explores teachers’ experiences of their first year of the teaching of Scratch. The purpose of the research was to understand how Scratch can be used effectively as a transitioning language to Delphi and to deduce guidelines for teaching Scratch as introduction to object-oriented programming in Delphi. A qualitative research method, within the interpretive paradigm, was selected for this research. Interviews were done with eight randomly selected Information Technology (IT) teachers in the province of North-West, South Africa to gain insight into their experiences of teaching Scratch in 2012, the first year of implementing the new curriculum. Findings show that teachers were uncertain how to teach programming concepts and how to integrate problem solving and algorithm design into teaching Scratch. The focus of teaching was on Scratch, instead of on teaching programming concepts with Scratch. Emerging guidelines emphasise the integration of problem solving and algorithm design; the creation of opportunities to expose learners to error handling and program testing; and the inculcatation of programming concepts. We furthermore recommend active teaching-learning strategies such as pair programming.

Software: university courses versus workplace practice

A significant number of employees attend graduate school, and the impact of the student role may be substantial and valuable to the work-life literature. In this study the authors examine whether psychological involvement in graduate school increases school-work facilitation. Further, they suggest that employers and graduate schools can provide social support resources that will strengthen the relationship between psychological involvement and school-work facilitation, thereby creating a win-win situation for both student and employer. The study results suggest that the interaction between psychological school involvement and social support in the school and work domains produce stronger levels of school-work facilitation. Specifically, co-worker support, classmate support and supervisor support strengthened the relationship between involvement and facilitation.

Empowering information technology teachers through professional development: an evaluation

To assist Information Technology (IT) teachers in their endeavour to keep up with the rapid changes in the curriculum, we implemented two approaches to professional development. In this poster we will illustrate the comparison between the traditional training-based professional development (currently implemented to train IT teachers), our face-to-face professional development programme and our multimedia-based professional development programme by using Guskeys 21 characteristics for effective professional development. Once evaluation was completed we proposed a professional development programme incorporating the strengths of each approach evaluated in this poster.

Groups can do IT

As the Information Technology (IT) professionals of the future, learners of programming need to master skills with regard to learning together and sharing knowledge. The research question that will serve to focus this paper is: “How can we integrate cooperative group work meaningfully into the teaching and learning of programming skills?” In answer, this paper presents a new model for cooperative learning environments in IT classrooms that emphasizes the importance of structuring cooperative groups for effectiveness. Learning from the past, we base the model on literature and previous research done by the authors. Appropriate implementation of the model requires the basic elements of positive interdependence, individual accountability, promotive interaction, interpersonal and small-group skills, and group processing.

The impact of cooperative learning on self-directed learning abilities in the computer applications technology class

ABSTRACT This article reports on an explorative study into the relationship between the implementation of cooperative learning strategies and students’ self-directedness in learning. Participants in this study were first-year Computer Applications Technology student teachers. Students completed a self-directed learning questionnaire at the beginning of the module and again after completion of the module. We used cooperative learning strategies during contact sessions over 12 weeks. After completion of the module, interviews were also conducted with randomly selected students. We concluded that the cooperative learning experiences in the Computer Applications Technology class appear to have an effect on students’ perceived readiness for self-directed learning only in cases where students do not have perceived high self-directed learning skills.