CodeStruct: Design and Evaluation of an Intermediary Programming Environment for Novices to Transition from Scratch to Python

Kazemitabaar, Majeed; Viktar, Chyhir,; Weintrop, David; Grossman, Tovi

doi:10.1145/3501712.3529733

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The second phase had participants transition independently from block-based to text-based programming in four sessions. Half of the learners made this transition using a structured editor called CodeStruct [14]. The other half of the learners transitioned directly from Scratch to Python using Replit which is unstructured.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dual-modality environments such as MakeCode [3] and Pencil Code [4] allow learners to author their programs in either block-based or text-based forms and support them in moving back-and-forth between the two. Hybrid environments like Frame-based editing [15], TouchDevelop [26], and CodeStruct [14] combine features of block-based and textbased programming into a single interface. These environments are usually structured editors and edits are performed directly to the Abstract Syntax Tree (AST) to always maintain a valid structure.…”

Section: Easing the Blocks-to-text Transitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our data set is based on a prior two-week long study, in which students transitioned from Scratch to Python [14]. In this paper, we reuse the same data set and complement their prior analysis of task performance measures (correctness score, completion time, and number of help requests), with a more thorough and detailed analysis of the types of transition issues that occurred, their characteristics, and how they were resolved.…”

Section: Data Setmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, in an attempt to ease this transition, hybrid environments like Frame-based editing [15] and CodeStruct [14] have incorporated structured editors that support learners by eliminating syntax errors and increasing readability through the display of visual cues. However, the effect of such structured editors on novice errors is not known.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To answer these research questions, we examine data from a previous study [14] conducted with 26 novices in grades 7-11 (ages 12-16; M=14 years) with no prior text-based programming experience that transitioned from Scratch to Python in 11 90minute sessions. The sessions were video recorded and thematically analyzed.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Scaffolding Progress

Kazemitabaar

Viktar

Weintrop

et al. 2023

Proceedings of the 54th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education v. 1

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Transitioning from block-based programming to text-based programming environments can be challenging as it requires students to learn new programming language concepts. In this paper, we identify and classify the issues encountered when transitioning from block-based to text-based programming. In particular, we investigate differences that emerge in learners when using a structured editor compared to an unstructured editor. We followed 26 high school students (ages 12-16; M=14 years) as they transitioned from Scratch to Python in three phases: (i) learning Scratch, (ii) transitioning from Scratch to Python using either a structured or unstructured editor, and (iii) evaluating Python coding skills using an unstructured editor. We identify 27 distinct types of issues and show that learners who used a structured editor during the transition phase had 4.6x less syntax issues and 1.9x less data-type issues compared to those who did not. When these learners switched to an unstructured editor for evaluation, they kept a lower rate on data-type issues but faced 4x more syntax errors. CCS CONCEPTS• Social and professional topics → Computing education.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%