A guided inquiry approach for detecting and developing problem-solving strategies for novice programming students

Abstract

The introductory programming course often has a very high DFW rate at above 40%. In many cases, students fail the course multiple times before advancing to the next programming class or deciding to quit the program altogether. We also face the problem of very low enrollment of female students in the course. We observe that the most difficult aspect of programming is not the syntax or semantics of a programming language, but problem solving. Various teaching approaches have had some success, however, a number of students are still struggling. We plan to address this difficulty by an approach called Iterative Problem-Solving Strategy Detection and Development (IPSSDD). It involves students directly in every aspect of problem solving, including detecting, developing, refining, and applying problem solving strategies. We started with three topics: basics, if statements, and loops. Looping is where many of our students struggle and start to fail. Data show that the sections that implemented the new strategy have statistically significant higher performance than the other sections on problem-solving using loops, which is especially true for female students. Students in those sections also reported higher motivation and confidence.