Interventions for Enhancing Indigenous Undergraduates' Programming Learning: A Systematic Review

Abstract

This study reviews the challenges faced by indigenous undergraduates in learning programming and identifies interventions to address them. A systematic review of 37 studies published between 2000 and 2022 found that Indigenous undergraduates face barriers to learning programming related to their indigeneity, motivation, mathematics anxiety, cognitive load, pedagogy, prior knowledge, critical thinking, and programming language anxiety. Interventions such as ethnoprogramming, culturally responsive pedagogy, ethnomathematics, and gamification have been proposed to overcome these challenges. Our review and analysis suggest that culturally responsive pedagogy and gamification show promise in improving indigenous undergraduates' programming learning outcomes. This study highlights the importance of designing effective interventions to support Indigenous undergraduates' learning and career opportunities in the global programming market. Future research could explore specialised interventions tailored to indigenous learners' unique needs and perspectives.