Evaluation of learning environments for object-oriented programming: measuring cognitive load with a novel measurement technique

Various methods and tools have been proposed to overcome the learning obstacles for Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). However, it remains difficult especially for novice learners. The problem may be not only adopting an instructional method, but also an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Lea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Interactive learning environments Vol. 24; no. 7; pp. 1590 - 1609
Main Author: Uysal, Murat Pasa
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Abingdon Routledge 02.10.2016
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
Academic Achievement
Achievement Tests
Cognitive Ability
cognitive load
Cognitive Processes
Computer Networks
Control Groups
Course Content
Curriculum Development
Difficulty Level
Educational Environment
Evaluation
Experimental Groups
fNIRS
Foreign Countries
Graduate Students
integrated development environment
Interactive learning
Java
Males
Mann Whitney U Test
Measurement Techniques
Multimedia
Multimedia Instruction
multimedia learning
Nonparametric Statistics
Object oriented programming
Programming
Programming Languages
Quasiexperimental Design
Short Term Memory
Statistical Analysis
Teaching Methods
Turkey (Ankara)
Turkey (Ankara)
ISSN:1049-4820, 1744-5191
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Various methods and tools have been proposed to overcome the learning obstacles for Object-Oriented Programming (OOP). However, it remains difficult especially for novice learners. The problem may be not only adopting an instructional method, but also an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Learners employ IDEs as a means to solve programming problems and an inappropriate IDE may impose additional cognitive load. Therefore, this quasi-experimental study tried to identify the cognitive effects of a more visually supportive and functional IDE. It was explored by the functional near-infrared spectroscopy method, which is a relatively new physiological tool for measuring cognitive load. Novice students participated in the study in two experimental groups and they were required to write a Java application using two different IDEs. The results indicated a significant difference between the experimental groups and the findings are discussed in view of the principles of Cognitive Load Theory and Multimedia Learning.
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ISSN:1049-4820
1744-5191
DOI:10.1080/10494820.2015.1041400