Towards an Understanding of Program Writing as a Cognitive Process: Analysis of Keystroke Logs

Abstract

Program writing is difficult to teach, learn, and assess. One challenge is a lack of theory or understanding about what program writing is. My dissertation will address this challenge by applying theories from natural language (NL) writing to try and understand program writing as a cognitive process. By analyzing keystroke logs collected during program writing, I plan to identify similarities with NL writing, potential diagnostic information, and how program writing changes as students become more proficient.