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Variable Evaluation: an Exploration of Novice Programmers' Understanding and Common Misconceptions

Published: 08 March 2017 Publication History

Abstract

For novice programmers one of the most problematic concepts is variable assignment and evaluation. Several questions emerge in the mind of the beginner, such as what does x = 7 + 4 or x = x + 1 really mean? For instance, many students initially think that such statements store the entire calculation in variable x, evaluating the result lazily when actually needed. The common increment pattern x = x + 1 is even believed to be outright impossible. This paper discusses a multi-year project examining how high school students think of assignments and variables. In particular, where does the misconception of storing entire calculations come from? Can we explain the students' thinking and help them develop correct models of how programming works?
It is particularly striking that a model of the computer as a machine with algebraic capabilities would indeed produce the observed misconceptions. The misconception might simply be attributed to the expectation that the computer performs computations the exact same way students are taught to in mathematics.

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      cover image ACM Conferences
      SIGCSE '17: Proceedings of the 2017 ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education
      March 2017
      838 pages
      ISBN:9781450346986
      DOI:10.1145/3017680
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      Published: 08 March 2017

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      Author Tags

      1. learning
      2. misconceptions
      3. novices
      4. programming
      5. variables

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      • (2024)From Blocks to Text: Bridging Programming MisconceptionsJournal of Educational Computing Research10.1177/0735633124124004762:5(1302-1326)Online publication date: 2-Apr-2024
      • (2024)Roles of Variables in the Hedy Programming LanguageProceedings of the 2024 ACM SIGPLAN International Symposium on SPLASH-E10.1145/3689493.3689984(12-22)Online publication date: 17-Oct-2024
      • (2024)Variables and Variable Naming in Popular Programming Textbooks for Children and NovicesProceedings of the 2024 on ACM Virtual Global Computing Education Conference V. 110.1145/3649165.3690112(242-248)Online publication date: 5-Dec-2024
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