The effects of computer science 12 programming experience on mathematical problem solving

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dc.contributor.authorWyeth, Margaret Helenen_US
dc.date.accessioned2024-08-15T20:18:49Z
dc.date.available2024-08-15T20:18:49Z
dc.date.copyright1991en_US
dc.date.issued1991
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of Social and Natural Sciencesen_US
dc.degree.levelMaster of Arts M.A.en
dc.description.abstractThe mathematical problem solving of senior high school student programmers is explored in this study with the intent of identifying possible knowledge or skill transfers between programming and mathematics. Related literature was reviewed and interpreted to produce a list of eight potential transfer items. These items overlapped with mathematics and showed evidence of improvement or development specifically related to programming. Two separate areas of mathematics, combinatorics and algebra, were investigated for the appearance of programming language syntax, constructs and problem solving processes. Written tests were used for the combinatorics and individual interviews for the algebra problems. The experimental group consisted of Computer Science 12 students and the control group came from Algebra 12 and Physics 12 classes. The basic design was quasi-experimental pretest-posttest, with testing at the beginning and end of one school semester. The combinatorics tests each contained two problems and were written by complete classes (n=23) from a single school. The same problems were used in both tests disguised in different contexts. The algebra problems were administered through interviews containing three problems, to individual volunteers from two other schools (n=13). Only the first of the three problems was the same in each interview. The remaining two came from related pairs assigned randomly between the first and second interviews. Using the techniques of Exploratory Data Analysis the combinatorics data was analysed descriptively and then statistically. No evidence of transfer was uncovered. Differences were observed but appeared to have more to do with initial differences between the programmer (experimental) and nonprogrammer (control) groups. Similar observations were made from the algebra interview protocols. There was a poor match between the experimental and control group on mathematical and academic background with the programmers taking fewer science and mathematics courses and obtaining generally lower grades. In addition some questions were raised as to the effectiveness of testing for transfer through test performance. The study should be considered inconclusive. Although it did not provide the desired direction for further more detailed investigations neither did it suggest that other such studies would necessarily be fruitless.
dc.format.extent171 pages
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/20210
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Weben_US
dc.titleThe effects of computer science 12 programming experience on mathematical problem solvingen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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