Behaviour Patterns of Learners at Solving Programming Task: an Analysis of Log Files
Name
Heidi Meier
Abstract
Solving individual tasks plays an important role while studying programming and teachers do not see how learners achieve the result, especially in case of MOOCs (massive open online courses). Investigating the process of solving programming tasks can provide the teacher with valuable information. The aim of this thesis is to find answers to the following questions based on the log files of the programming environment Thonny: What information can be collected from Thonny’s log files about learners' behaviour? What are different learners' behaviour patterns of solving programming tasks based on the example of a summary task of a MOOC "Introduction to Programming"? What types of learners can be distinguished on the basis of the behaviour patterns of task solving? The analysis of the learners' behaviour patterns was based on whether they solved the task gradually or not, i.e. whether they wrote the programme in parts, and in the meantime also tested their work or tested it for the first time only when they had written the bulk of the solution. In the context of the solution of the MOOC’s summary task, one can say that the seven learners who spent the most time and who had the greatest number of error messages and repetitive error messages, did not work gradually.
Graduation Thesis language
Estonian
Graduation Thesis type
Master - Conversion Master in IT
Supervisor(s)
Eno Tõnisson
Defence year
2018