Analysing hint based problem solving strategy among novice programmers through gamification technique

Abstract

All programming and computer science-related courses require problem-solving skills and abilities. Problem-solving skill is one of the most demanding skills in this area. On the other hand, it is also highly noticeable that novice programmers and new programmers face huge amounts of difficulties and obstacles when it comes to solving problems. This research paper analyses the common behaviours and patterns that new programmers make when they tackle problems. At the same time, this research work proposed a noble hint based gamification method for novice programmers to better understand their abilities and improve their skills in a more engaging way. The proposed method had been evaluated with some novice programmers in two-way testing. We also compared the new method with the conventional method in the field level. The evaluation analysis of this work showed that the participants exposed in the proposed method did better than the participants exposed in conventional method.