Programming language impacts on learning

ABSTRACT

What programming language should be taught in an introductory computer science course? Studies and experiences at West Point provide some insight into these questions. This paper reports the statistical results obtained from a side-by-side comparison of Pascal and Ada. The unique nature of our institution provided the opportunity to isolate and study causal factors, and allowed us to follow the experimental and control groups through graduation.We conducted a side by side comparison of the use of Pascal, which was specifically designed for instructional purposes, and Ada in an introductory course. The experiment demonstrated that students were much more successful in Ada than in Pascal, and led to the revision of the Academy core curriculum to use Ada 95 in our introductory computer science class. This paper discusses the details of our comparison, citing specific examples to illustrate a rational basis for evaluating programming language features.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.3 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
      D.3.2 Language Classifications

          Nouns: Ada

Additional Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Curriculum

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Human Factors, Languages, Management, Measurement, Performance, Theory