Ulrich Kiesmüller
ABSTRACT
At schools special learning and programming environments are often used in the field of algorithm. Particularly with regard to informatics lessons in secondary education they should help novices to learn the basics of programming. In several parts of Germany (e. g. Bavaria) these fundamentals are even taught in the 7th grade, when pupils are 12 to 13 years old. Age-based designed learning and programming environments such as Karel, the robot and Kara, the programmable ladybug, are employed there, however learners still underachieve. One possible approach to improve both teaching and learning process is specifying the knowledge concerning the learners' individual problem solving strategies, when they create their solutions in consideration of the solution attempt's quality.
A goal of the research project described here is being able to identify and categorise several problem solving strategies automatically. Due to this knowledge learning and programming environments can be improved which will optimise the informatics lessons, in which they are applied. Therefore the environments must be enhanced with special analytic and diagnostic modules, whose results can be given to the learner in the form of individualized system feedback messages in the future.
In this text preliminary considerations are demonstrated. The research methodology as well as the design and the implementation of the research instruments are explained. We describe first studies, whose results are presented and discussed.
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Index Terms
- Diagnosing learners' problem solving strategies using learning environments with algorithmic problems in secondary education
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