ABSTRACT
Since they were first described by Meyer and Land [1] the classification of concepts as 'threshold' concepts has engaged many researchers, including a number of CS researchers. A variety of approaches have been employed to identify concepts that could be classified as threshold concepts, with varying success. Our own frustrations in identifying them led us to identify shortcomings in commonly-used approaches, and to the promising possibilities offered by a new direction. We describe that new direction here, and detail the path that led us to it.
- Meyer, J.H.F. and R. Land, Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge (1) -- linkages to ways of thinking and practising, in Improving student learning -- ten years on., C. Rust, Editor. 2003, Oxford Centre for Staff and Learning Development: Oxford.Google Scholar
- Soloway, E. and J.C. Spohrer, eds. Studying the Novice Programmer. 1989, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers: London. Google Scholar
- Davies, P., Threshold Concepts: how can we recognise them?, in EARLI Conference. 2003: Padova.Google Scholar
- Zendler, A. and C. Spannagel, Empirical Foundation of Central Concepts for Computer Science Education. ACM Journal on Educational Resources in Computing, 2008. 8(2). Google ScholarDigital Library
- Schwill, A., Fundamental ideas of computer science. European Assoc. for Theoretical Computer Science, 1994. 53: p. 274--295.Google Scholar
- Goldman, K., et al., Identifying Important and Difficult Concepts in Introductory Computing Courses Using a Delphi Process, in SIGCSE 08. 2008, ACM: New York. p. 256--260. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Clayton, M.J., Delphi: A Technique to Harness Expert Opinion for Critical Decision-Making Task in Education. Educational Psychology, 1997. 17: p. 373--386.Google Scholar
- Boustedt, J., et al., Threshold concepts in computer science: do they exist and are they useful? SIGCSE Bulletin, 2007. 39(1): p. 504--508. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Eckerdal, A., et al., Putting Threshold Concepts into Context in Computer Science Education, in ITiCSE 06. 2006, ACM: Bologna Italy. p. 103--107. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Eckerdal, A., et al., From Limen to Lumen: computing students in liminal spaces, in ICER 07. 2007, ACM: New York. p. 123--132. Google ScholarDigital Library
- McCartney, R., et al., Successful students' strategies for getting unstuck. SIGCSE Bulletin, 2007. 39(3): p. 156--160. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Moström , J.E., et al., Concrete Examples of Abstraction as Manifested in Students' Transformative Experiences, in ICER 08. 2008, ACM: Sydney Australia. p. 125--135. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Thomas, L., et al., Threshold Concepts in Computer Science: An ongoing empirical investigation, in Threshold Concepts and Transformational Learning, J.H.F. Meyer, R. Land, and C. Baillie, Editors. 2010, Sense Publications: Rotterdam.Google Scholar
- Zander, C., et al., Threshold concepts in computer science: a multi-national investigation, in Threshold Concepts Within the Disciplines, R. Land, J.H.F. Meyer, and J. Smith, Editors. 2008, Sense Publications: Rotterdam.Google Scholar
- Meyer, J.H.F. and R. Land, Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge (2): Epistemological considerations and a conceptual framework for teaching and learning. Higher Education, 2005. 49: p. 373--388.Google Scholar
- Sanders, K., et al., Student Understanding of ObjectOriented Programming as Expressed in Concept Maps, in SIBCSE 08. 2008, ACM: Portland Oregon. p. 332--336. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Rosch, E., et al., Basic Objects in Natural Categories. Cognitive Psychology, 1976. 8: p. 382--439.Google Scholar
- Rosch, E., Principles of Categorization, in Cognition and Categorization, E. Rosch and B.B. Lloyd, Editors. 1978, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers: Hillsdale. p. 27--48.Google Scholar
- Komatsu, L.K., Recent Views of Conceptual Structure. Psychological Bulletin, 1992. 112(3): p. 500--526.Google Scholar
- Murphy, G.L., The big book of concepts. 2002, Cambridge, Mass.; London: MIT Press.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Brown, R., How Shall a Thing be Called. Psychological Review, 1958. 65(1): p. 14--21.Google Scholar
- Flanagan, J.C., The Critical Incident Technique. Psychological Bulletin, 1954. 51(4): p. 335.Google Scholar
- Lambrecht, J.J., Developing End-User Technology Skills. Information Technology, Learning, and Performance Journal, 2000. 18(1): p. 7--19.Google Scholar
- Fischhoff, B., For those condemned to study the past: Heuristics and biases in hindsight, in Judgement under uncertainty : heuristics and biases, D. Kahneman, P. Slovic, and A. Tversky, Editors. 1982, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Fischhoff, B., Hindsight is not equal to Foresight: The Effect of Outcome Knowledge on Judgment Under Uncertainty. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1975. 1(3): p. 288--299.Google Scholar
- Guilbault, R.L., et al., A Meta-Analysis of Research on Hindsight Bias. Basic and Applied Psychology, 2004. 26(2 and 3): p. 103--117.Google Scholar
- Hoch, S.J. and G.F. Loewenstein, Outcome Feedback: Hindsight and Information. Journal of Experimenal Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 1989. 15(4): p. 605--619.Google Scholar
- Hawkins, S.A. and R. Hastie, Hindsight: Biased Judgments of Past Events After the Outcomes Are Known. Psychological Bulletin, 1990. 107(3): p. 311--327.Google Scholar
- Henriksen, K. and H. Kaplan, Hindsight bias, outcome knowledge and adaptive learning. Quality and Safety in Health Care, 2003. 12(2): p. 46--50.Google Scholar
- Berney, L. and D.B. Blane, The lifegrid method of collecting retrospective information from people at older ages. Research Policy and Planning, 2003. 21(2).Google Scholar
- Seldon, A., By world of mouth : Elite oral history. 1983, London: Methuen.Google Scholar
- Blane, D.B., Collecting retrospective data: Development of a reliable method and a pilot study of. Social Science and Medicine, 1996. 42(5): p. 751--757.Google Scholar
- Beaty, L., Foreward, in Overcoming Barriers to Student Understanding: Threshold concepts and troublesome knowledge, J.H.F. Meyer and R. Land, Editors. 2006, Routledge: Abingdon.Google Scholar
- Cousin, G., Neither Teacher-Centred nor Student-Centred: Threshold concepts and research partnerships. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 2010. 2: p. 1--9.Google Scholar
- Entwistle, N., Threshold Concepts and Transformative Ways of Thinking within Research into Higher Education, in Threshold Concepts within the Discplines, R. Land, J.H.F. Meyer, and J. Smith, Editors. 2008, Sense Publishers: Rotterdam. p. 21--35.Google ScholarCross Ref
- Perkins, D., Forward, in Threshold Concepts and Transformational Learning, J.H.F. Meyer, R. Land, and C. Baillie, Editors. 2010, Sense Publishers: Rotterdam.Google Scholar
- Cousin, G. (2008) Exploring Threshold Concepts for Linking Teaching and Research.Google Scholar
- Rayside, D. and G.T. Campbell, Aristotle and object-oriented programming: why modern students need traditional logic, in Proceedings of the thirty-first SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education. 2000, ACM: Austin, Texas, USA. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Samurcay, R., The concept of variable in programming: Its meaning and use in problem-solving by novice programmers, in Studying the Novice Programmer, E. Soloway and J.C. Sophrer, Editors. 1989, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Hillside, New Jersey. p. 161--178.Google Scholar
- Schön, D., The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action. 1983, London: Temple Smith.Google Scholar
- van Manen, M., On the Epistemology of Reflective Practice. Teachers and Teaching: theory and practice, 1995. 1(1): p. 33--50.Google Scholar
- Anderson, G. and B. Page, Narrative Knowledge and Educational Administration: The Stories that Guide Our Practice in The Knowledge Base in Educational Administration: Multiple Perspectives, R. Donmoyer, M. Imber, and J.J. Scheurich, Editors. 1995, SUNY: New York.Google Scholar
- Shulman, L., Knowing and Teaching: Foundations of the New Reform. Harvard Educational Review, 1987. 57(1): p. 1--22.Google Scholar
- Liberman, N., Y.B.-D. Kolikant, and C. Beeri, In-service teachers learning of a new paradigm: a case study, in Proceedings of the fifth international workshop on Computing education research workshop. 2009, ACM: Berkeley, CA, USA. Google ScholarDigital Library
- Loughran, J., A. Berry, and P. Mulhall, Understanding and Developing Science Teachers' Pedagogical Content Knowledge. 2006, Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.Google Scholar
- Saeli, M., et al., Programming: Teachers and Pedagogical Content Knowledge in the Netherlands, . Informatics in Education, 2012. 11(1): p. 81--114Google Scholar
- Gudmundsdottir, S., The Narrative Nature of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Narrative in Teaching, Learning and Research H. McEwan and K. Egan, Editors. 1995, Teachers College Press: New York.Google Scholar
- Olson and Bruner, Folk Psychology and Folk Pedagogy, in The Handbook of Education and Human Development. 1999, Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
- Gudmundsdottir, S., Curriculum Stories, in Insights into Teachers' Thinking and Practice, C. Day, P. Denicolo, and M. Pope, Editors. 1990 Falmer Press. p. 107--118.Google Scholar
- Sanders, K., et al., Threshold concepts and threshold skills in computing, in Proceedings of the ninth annual international conference on International computing education research. 2012, ACM: Auckland, New Zealand. Google ScholarDigital Library
Index Terms
- Identifying threshold concepts: from dead end to a new direction
Recommendations
Threshold concepts in computing: past, present, and future
Koli Calling '16: Proceedings of the 16th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education ResearchIn this paper, we survey the work that has been done in threshold concepts in computing since they were first discussed in 2005: concepts that have been identified, methodologies used, and issues discussed. Based on this survey, we then identify some ...
Computing Teachers' Perspectives on Threshold Concepts: Functions and Procedural Abstraction
WiPSCE '17: Proceedings of the 12th Workshop on Primary and Secondary Computing EducationWith the introduction of the new computing curriculum in England, teachers are facing many challenges, among them the teaching of computer programming. Literature suggests that the conceptual understanding of this subject contributes to its difficulty ...
Reflections on threshold concepts in computer programming and beyond
Koli Calling '10: Proceedings of the 10th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education ResearchI comment on and extend prior work that searches for threshold concepts in computer programming. I argue that explicitly linking threshold concepts to Brunerian fundamental ideas gives structure to the ongoing debate on threshold concepts. Program ...
Comments