The Efficacy of a Low-Level Program Visualization Tool for Teaching Programming Concepts to Novice C Programmers

2000 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip A. Smith ◽  
Geoffrey I. Webb

It is widely agreed that learning to program is difficult. Program visualization tools make visible aspects of program execution which are often hidden from the user. While several program visualization tools aimed at novice programmers have been developed over the past decade there is little empirical evidence showing that novices actually benefit from their use [1]. In this article we describe a “Glass-box Interpreter” called Bradman. An experiment is presented which tests the efficacy of Bradman in assisting novice programmers learn programming concepts. We show that students that used the glass-box interpreter achieved greater understanding of some programming concepts than those without access. We also give evidence that the student's ability to assimilate new concepts was enhanced by exposure to the glass-box interpreter. This is experimental confirmation that such tools are beneficial in helping novices learn programming.

10.28945/3237 ◽  
2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teemu Rajala ◽  
Mikko-Jussi Laakso ◽  
Erkki Kaila ◽  
Tapio Salakoski

Program visualization is one of the various methods developed over the years to aid novices with their difficulties in learning to program. It consists of different graphical - often animated - and textual objects, visualizing the execution of programs. The aim of program visualization is to enhance students’ understanding of different areas of program execution. Typical program visualization techniques include code highlighting, visualization of the call stack, and presenting information on variables. Despite the large number of studies performed on program visualization, little is known about the effects of such systems on learning. We have developed a program visualization tool called ViLLE, with the main objective of offering an environment for students to study the execution of example programs - whether written by students themselves or prepared by the teacher - and explore the changes in the program state data structures. A key feature of ViLLE is language independency, including parallel execution of a program in two different languages and the ability to define new languages. ViLLE also provides role information of program variables and supports the design and use of interactive pop-up questions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 190-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernesto Panadero ◽  
Sanna Järvelä

Abstract. Socially shared regulation of learning (SSRL) has been recognized as a new and growing field in the framework of self-regulated learning theory in the past decade. In the present review, we examine the empirical evidence to support such a phenomenon. A total of 17 articles addressing SSRL were identified, 13 of which presented empirical evidence. Through a narrative review it could be concluded that there is enough data to maintain the existence of SSRL in comparison to other social regulation (e.g., co-regulation). It was found that most of the SSRL research has focused on characterizing phenomena through the use of mixed methods through qualitative data, mostly video-recorded observation data. Also, SSRL seems to contribute to students’ performance. Finally, the article discusses the need for the field to move forward, exploring the best conditions to promote SSRL, clarifying whether SSRL is always the optimal form of collaboration, and identifying more aspects of groups’ characteristics.


2021 ◽  
pp. 097133362199044
Author(s):  
Henry S. R. Kao ◽  
Min Xu ◽  
Tin Tin Kao

Our research in the past 40 years has identified beneficial effects of Chinese calligraphy handwriting (CCH) practice on visual attention, cognitive activation, physiological slowdown, emotional relaxation and behavioural change. We hypothesised that these outcomes may constitute a compressive set of foundations which could impact several traits of Chinese personality within the context of Confucian culture and values. Here, we give a brief overview of the background of CCH and its effect in the cognitive, physiological and bio-emotional domains. We then provide empirical evidence showing strong association of CCH and personality traits and discuss the results in the contexts of calligraphy practice and Confucian literati personality, Confucianism and Chinese personalities as well as calligraphy writing and tool-using psychological theory.


1998 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 297-301
Author(s):  
Magoroh Maruyama
Keyword(s):  
The Past ◽  

Incipient signs of a change in Zeitgeist are being felt. Under a new Zeitgeist, some theories which have been excluded, ignored or suppressed by the past dominant mainstream theories may emerge into the daylight. This article examines processes of popularization of theories and discusses how they may relate to emergence of hitherto excluded, ignored or suppressed theories. Two new concepts are introduced in this article: metaphorizability and anchorability.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 614
Author(s):  
Ayan Orazov ◽  
Liudmila Nadtochii ◽  
Kazybay Bozymov ◽  
Mariam Muradova ◽  
Araigul Zhumayeva

This paper examines the problem of food security in the Republic of Kazakhstan over the past 10 years. Based on statistical data, an assessment was made of the prevalence of malnutrition among the population of the country, including children under 5 years of age. There has been a trend towards for an improvement in the nutrition of the population for a few indicators; however, further optimization of food security indicators is required to achieve the goals of sustainable development (SDGs) of the FAO WHO Agenda for the period up to 2050 in Kazakhstan and in its individual regions. The paper reflects data on demographic changes over the past 10 years and its self-sufficiency in basic foods for 2019. A high degree of self-sufficiency in meat products (117.6%) is revealed in the population of the Republic of Kazakhstan. However, self-sufficiency in dairy products is at an extremely low level (0.1%). Camel breeding has been successfully developing in the country over the past 10 years. However, the number of camels in the country is still at a low level. Camel milk can be considered as a great source of macronutrients, its daily consumption partially facilitates the problem of Food Security in Kazakhstan.


2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1681) ◽  
pp. 20140267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. Ferraro ◽  
Merlin M. Hanauer

To develop effective protected area policies, scholars and practitioners must better understand the mechanisms through which protected areas affect social and environmental outcomes. With strong evidence about mechanisms, the key elements of success can be strengthened, and the key elements of failure can be eliminated or repaired. Unfortunately, empirical evidence about these mechanisms is limited, and little guidance for quantifying them exists. This essay assesses what mechanisms have been hypothesized, what empirical evidence exists for their relative contributions and what advances have been made in the past decade for estimating mechanism causal effects from non-experimental data. The essay concludes with a proposed agenda for building an evidence base about protected area mechanisms.


2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 3418-3430 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Wencel-Delord ◽  
A. Panossian ◽  
F. R. Leroux ◽  
F. Colobert

Over the past decade the field of the synthesis of axially chiral compounds has been rapidly expanding. Not only key advances have been achieved concerning the already established strategies but also new synthetic routes have been devised. This review showcases the recent developments in this domain.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Leor Zmigrod

Abstract Ideological behavior has traditionally been viewed as a product of social forces. Nonetheless, an emerging science suggests that ideological worldviews can also be understood in terms of neural and cognitive principles. The article proposes a neurocognitive model of ideological thinking, arguing that ideological worldviews may be manifestations of individuals’ perceptual and cognitive systems. This model makes two claims. First, there are neurocognitive antecedents to ideological thinking: the brain’s low-level neurocognitive dispositions influence its receptivity to ideological doctrines. Second, there are neurocognitive consequences to ideological engagement: strong exposure and adherence to ideological doctrines can shape perceptual and cognitive systems. This article details the neurocognitive model of ideological thinking and synthesizes the empirical evidence in support of its claims. The model postulates that there are bidirectional processes between the brain and the ideological environment, and so it can address the roles of situational and motivational factors in ideologically motivated action. This endeavor highlights that an interdisciplinary neurocognitive approach to ideologies can facilitate biologically informed accounts of the ideological brain and thus reveal who is most susceptible to extreme and authoritarian ideologies. By investigating the relationships between low-level perceptual processes and high-level ideological attitudes, we can develop a better grasp of our collective history as well as the mechanisms that may structure our political futures.


Author(s):  
Olga M. Khlytina ◽  

The article summarizes the results of an Internet survey of history teachers, in which 216 teachers from 31 regions of Russia took part. The author considers the development of the subject-oriented ability to work with historical sources in the context of the development of schoolchildren's functional literacy as a priority task of the modern Russian school. The aim of the study is to characterize the methodological ways of teaching schoolchildren the methods of analyzing historical sources dominant in teachers' work based on expert teachers' assessments of how well graduates of the 9th and 11th grades mastered the ability to critically analyze historical sources, identify their effectiveness, suggest options for improving mass teaching practice. The analysis of literature has shown that the ability to analyze historical sources is interpreted as the basis for the development of historical and critical thinking, a person's ability to independently cognize the past. Methodological science has substantiated various models of student analysis of historical sources based on the methodology of modern historical science and focused on the development of schoolchildren' subject and metasubject skills, functional literacy. At the same time, the results of the survey indicate that the vast majority of the teachers organize work with sources outside any system and sequence, and no more than once or twice during the term. Explaining the reasons for this, the teachers point to work overload, lack of high-quality didactic support of courses, and a low level of student learning. They also say they need advanced training in teaching schoolchildren to work with historical sources. The teachers note the low level of their students' mastery of the basic procedures for analyzing historical sources: according to the teachers' assessments, in 60-80% of classes in Russian schools, less than half of the students mastered the basic ability to “read” sources (extract explicit and implicit information). According to a third of the teachers, no more than 20% of their students are able to complete tasks on commenting on a historical source when a student, relying on knowledge of the context, begins to understand the past, think as historians think. Another quarter of the teachers indicated an interval of 30-40%. When working with sources, the dominant feature is the formation of historical knowledge, and the tasks of the students' learning the activity- and value-based components of educational historical knowledge are not solved effectively enough, which ultimately makes it difficult for students to achieve results in the subject and complicates the solution of the complex tasks of improving the quality of education that Russian education is faced with today.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 694-708 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Qin ◽  
Baogang He

AbstractAuthoritarian deliberation has been used widely to describe the specific form of deliberation developed in China. However, whether its practice will strengthen authoritarianism or lead to democratization remains unknown. In this study, we examine this question from the perspective of participants in public deliberation. Surveying the participants in participatory pricings held in Shanghai over the past 5 years, we find that participants’ perception of deliberative quality has a statistically significant negative impact on their level of political activism, while their level of empowerment has a moderating effect on this negative relationship. In this light, Chinese deliberative practices characterized by high-quality deliberation and low-level empowerment are likely to have a demobilization effect; thus, they reinforce the authoritarian rules.


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