 |
Asia-Pacific Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 19, Issue 2, Article 16 (Dec., 2018) |
Enhancing academic achievement in an introductory computer programming course through the implementation of guided inquiry-based learning and teaching
1Jose LUKOSE and 2Kuttickattu John MAMMEN
1Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Technology, Walter Sisulu University, 19 Manchester Road, Chiselhurst, East London 5200, SOUTH AFRICA
Corresponding Author's E-mail: jlukose@wsu.ac.za
2School of General & Continuing Education, Faculty of Education, University of Fort Hare, 50 Church Street, East London 5200, SOUTH AFRICA
E-mail: jose_mammen2002@yahoo.com
Received 20 Aug., 2018
Revised 21 Dec., 2018
Contents
Research reports using global data show that the failure rates in introductory programming courses average about 32%. As learners from schools join the university and enrol for different courses, they find the sudden transformation quite challenging. This makes it more challenging for first year university students, especially in difficult courses such as Introduction to Programming. As trends change with advances in technology, the traditional ways of presenting information during teaching and learning interface may not address students' needs. Lecturers and university stakeholders however, do make efforts to address these challenges by proposing innovative teaching methods. One of the common approaches that has been used profitably in certain science and engineering programmes is Guided Inquiry Learning (GIL). It is a form of inductive collaborative learning approach; where students are challenged to accomplish the desired learning outcomes in the course. This research applied GIL to the year-long Development Software 1 (DEV1120) course, which deals with basic programming principles that apply to all computer programming languages. The purpose was to observe whether or not there were more gains through a GIL approach in students' academic achievement than through traditional teaching. The research was located in the pragmatic paradigm using action research design and a mixed method approach. The population consisted of all the 49 first-year students enrolled for the course at a South African university. The students who volunteered to be included in the experimental group were taught using the GIL strategies while the other group were taught using traditional method. Both groups were assessed using the same assessment tools simultaneously. Results from these assessments, together with focus-group interviews, provided the core data for this study. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were carried out on the data: statistical analysis for the former (chi-square and t-test) and thematic analysis for the latter. Results indicated significant gains in academic achievements for the experimental group over those in the control group.
Keywords: Constructivism, Guided Inquiry Learning (GIL), computer programming, collaborative learning, entry-level students, novice programmers.
