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From Misconceptions to Mastery: Addressing Novice Students' Misconceptions in Recursive Algorithm Learning

Published:29 June 2023Publication History

ABSTRACT

Recursion is a fundamental concept in computer science education, but many students struggle to understand its underlying principles and common implementation strategies. This study aims to investigate the most common misconceptions that novice students have about recursive algorithms, the formulation of mental models, as well as the factors that contribute to their development. Using a combination of surveys, interviews, and analysis of student work, I will collect data on students' prior knowledge, experiences, and attitudes toward recursion, as well as their understanding of specific recursive problems. I will also test the impact of specific variables, the use of different teaching pedagogies on students' understanding of recursion through experimental studies. Based on the results of these analyses, I will identify effective teaching strategies and interventions that can help students overcome misconceptions and better understand recursion.

References

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      • Published in

        cover image ACM Conferences
        ITiCSE 2023: Proceedings of the 2023 Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education V. 2
        June 2023
        694 pages
        ISBN:9798400701399
        DOI:10.1145/3587103

        Copyright © 2023 Owner/Author

        Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the Owner/Author.

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        Association for Computing Machinery

        New York, NY, United States

        Publication History

        • Published: 29 June 2023

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