Optimists have more fun, but do they learn better? On the influence of emotional and social factors on learning introductory computer science

Computer Science Education

Volumn 18, Issue 1, 2008, Pages 1-16

  Bennedsen, Jens ^a   Caspersen, Michael E ^b  

^a IT University West   (Denmark)

^b AARHUS UNIVERSITY   (Denmark)

Author keywords

Emotional and social factors; Learning introductory computer science; Predictors of success

Indexed keywords

EID: 59249087075     PISSN: 08993408     EISSN: 17445175     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/08993400701791133     Document Type: Article

References (58)

1. ACT. n.d. ACT assessment Available online at: www.act.org/aap/ (accessed 31 August 2006)
2. Argyle, M., 1994. The psychology of interpersonal behaviour, London: Penguin.
3. Bennedsen, J., and Caspersen, M., An upcoming study of potential success factors for an introductory model-driven programming course. Proceedings for the Fifth Koli Calling Conference on Computer Science Education (pp. 166–169). Koli, Finland. pp. 166–169.
4. Bennedsen, J., and Caspersen, M., 2006. Abstraction ability as an indicator of success for learning object-oriented programming?. SIGCSE Bulletin (Association for Computing Machinery, Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education), 38 (2): 39–43.
5. Bennedsen, J., and Caspersen, M. E., An investigation of potential success factors for an introductory model-driven programming course. ICER '05: Proceedings of the 2005 International Workshop on Computing Education Research. Seattle, WA, USA. pp. 155–163.
6. Bosson, J. K., Swann, W. B.J., and Pennebaker, J. W., 2000. Stalking the perfect measure of implicit self-esteem: The blind men and the elephant revisited?. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79 (4): 631–643.
7. Brooks, J. H., and DuBois, D. L., 1995. Individual and environmental predictors of adjustment during the first year of college. Journal of College Students Development, 36: 347–360.
8. Butcher, D. F., and Muth, W. A., 1985. Predicting performance in an introductory computer science course. Communications of the ACM, 28 (3): 263–268.
9. Carver, C. S., 1997. You want to measure coping but your protocol's too long: Consider the brief COPE. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4 (1): 92–100.
10. Chamillard, A. T., Using student performance predictions in a computer science curriculum. ITICSE '06: Proceedings of the 11th Annual SIGCSE Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education. Bologna, Italy. pp. 260–264.
11. Cohen, J., 1988. Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
12. Cohen, J., 2003. Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences, Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
13. Corbetta, P., 2003. Social research. Theory, methods and techniques, London: Sage.
14. Denning, P. J., 2004. The field of programmers myth. Communications of the ACM, 47 (7): 15–20.
15. Dijkstra, E. W., 1969. Notes on structured programming No. EWD 249
16. Engel, G., and Roberts, E., 2001. Computing curricula 2001 computer science, final report Available online at: www.acm.org/education/curric_vols/cc2001.pdf (accessed 31 May 2007)
17. European Union. 2006. ECTS—European credit transfer and accumulation system Available online at: http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/socrates/ects/index_en.html (accessed 16 August 2007)
18. Evans, G. E., and Simkin, M. G., 1989. What best predicts computer proficiency?. Communication of the ACM, 32 (11): 1322–1327.
19. Exam-scale (n.d.). http://www.retsinfo.dk/_GETDOCM_/ACCN/B19950051305-REGL (accessed 4 August 2006)
20. Garner, D. M., Olmstead, M. P., and Polivy, J., 1983. Development and validation of a multidimensional eating disorder inventory for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2: 15–34.
21. Gries, D., What should we teach in an introductory programming course?. SIGCSE '74: Proceedings of the Fourth SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education. pp. 81–89.
22. Hiim, H., and Hippe, E., 2006. Undervisningsplanlægning for faglærere [Planning teaching for subject teachers, in Danish], Copenhagen: Gyldendal.
23. Lawrence, D., 1996. Enhancing self-esteem in the classroom, London: Chapman.
24. Leafgran, F. A., 1989. “ Health and wellness program ”. In The freshman year experience, Edited by: Upcraft, M. L., and Gardner, J. N., 156–167. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
25. Lee, S., Lee, A. M., and Leung, T., 1998. Cross-cultural validity of the eating disorder inventory: A study of Chinese patients with eating disorders in Hong Kong. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 23 (2): 177–188.
26. Madsen, K. S., 2006. Politikere: Faldende it-optag skal vendes [Politicians: The falling enrolment to IT studies has to be turned]. Computer World Denmark, July 31 Available online at: http://www.computerworld.dk/art/34957 (accessed 31 August 2006)
27. McCracken, M., Almstrum, V., Diaz, D., Guzdial, M., Hagan, D., Kolikant, Y. B., 2001. A multi-national, multi-institutional study of assessment of programming skills of first-year CS students. SIGCSE Bulletin (Association for Computing Machinery, Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education), 33 (4): 125–180.
28. McGettrick, A., Boyle, R., Ibbett, R., Lloyd, J., Lovegrove, G., and Mander, K., 2005. Grand challenges in computing: Education—a summary. The Computer Journal, 48 (1): 42–48.
29. McNair, D. M., Lorr, M., and Droppleman, L. F., 1981. Manual for the profile of mood state, San Diego: Educational and Industrial Testing Service.
30. Mouw, J. T., and Khanna, R. K., 1993. Prediction of academic success: A review of the literature and some recommendations. College Student Journal, 27 (3): 328–336.
31. Norem, J. K., and Cantor, N., 1986. Defensive pessimism: Harnessing anxiety as motivation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51 (6): 1208–1217.
32. Pascarella, E. T., and Terenzini, P. T., 1991. How college affects students. Findings and insights from twenty years of research, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
33. Pritchard, M. E., and Wilson, G. S., 2003. Using emotional and social factors to predict student success. Journal of College Student Development, 44 (1): 18–28.
34. Raad, B. D., and Schouwenburg, H. C., 1996. Personality in learning and education: A review. European Journal of Personality, 10 (5): 303–336.
35. Rice, K. G., and Mirzadeh, S. A.L.I., 2000. Perfectionism, attachment, and adjustment. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 47 (2): 238–250.
36. Robins, A., Rountree, J., and Rountree, N., 2003. Learning and teaching programming: A review and discussion. Journal of Computer Science Education, 13 (2): 137–172.
37. Rosenberg, M., 1965. Society and the adolescent self-image, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
38. Rountree, N., Rountree, J., Robins, A., and Hannah, R., Interacting factors that predict success and failure in a CS1 course. ITiCSE-WGR '04: Working Group Reports from ITiCSE on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education. Leeds. pp. 101–104.
39. Sanders, R. T., Jr. 1998. Intellectual and psychosocial predictors of success in the college transition: A multiethnic study of freshman students on a predominantly white campus, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dissertation Abstracts International Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 58 (10-B): 5655
40. Sanna, L. J., 1998. Defensive pessimism and optimism: The bitter-sweet influence of mood on performance and prefactual and counterfactual thinking. Cognition and Emotion, 12: 635–665.
41. SAT. n.d. Encyclopædia britannica Available online at: www.britannica.com/eb/article-9377802 (accessed 31 August 2006)
42. Schmitt, D. P., and Allik, J., 2005. Simultaneous administration of the rosenberg self-esteem scale in 53 nations: Exploring the universal and culture-specific features of global self-esteem. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89 (4): 623–642.
43. Shin, Y. H., and Colling, K. B., 2000. Cultural verification and application of the profile of mood states (POMS) with Korean elders. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 22 (1): 68–83.
44. Silverman, D., 2001. Interpreting qualitative data. Methods for analysing talk, text and interaction, London: Sage Publications.
45. Soloway, E., and Spohrer, J. C., 1989. Studying the novice programmer, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
46. Soper, D. S., 2007. A-priori sample size calculator (multiple regression) free statistics calculators (online software) Available online at: www.danielsoper.com/statcalc (accessed 20 April 2007)
47. Sprague, P., and Schahczenski, C., 2002. Abstraction the key to CS1. Journal of Computing in Small Colleges, 17 (3): 211–218.
48. Szulecka, T. K., Springett, N. R., and de Pauw, K. W., 1987. General health, psychiatric vulnerability and withdrawal from university in first-year undergraduates. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling Special Issue: Counselling and Health, 15: 82–91.
49. Ting, S. R., and Robinson, T. L., 1998. First-year academic success: A prediction combining cognitive and psychosocial variables for Caucasian and African American students. Journal of College Students Development, 39: 599–610.
50. Tucker, A. B., 1996. Strategic directions in computer science education. ACM Computing Surveys, 28 (4): 836–845.
51. US Department of Education. 2003. Think college early: Average college costs Available online at: www.ed.gov/students/prep/college/thinkcollege/early/students/edlite-college-costs.html (accessed 19 April 2007)
52. van de Vijver, F., and Hambleton, R. K., 1996. Translating tests: Some practical guidelines. European Psychologist, 1 (2): 89–99.
53. Van Heyningen, J. J., 1997. Academic achievement in college students: What factors predict success?. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities & Social Sciences, 56 (6-A): 2076
54. Ventura, P., 2005. Identifying predictors of success for an objects-first CS1. Computer Science Education, 15 (3): 223–243.
55. Weeks, A., Swerissen, H., and Belfrage, J., 2007. Issues, challenges, and solutions in translating study instruments. Evaluation Review, 31 (2): 153–165.
56. Wiggins, N., and Blackburn, M., 1969. Prediction of first-year graduate success in psychology: Peer ratings. The Journal of Educational Research, 68 (2): 81–85.
57. Wolfe, R. N., and Johnson, S. D., 1995. Personality as a predictor of college performance. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 55 (2): 177–185.
58. Yeun, E. J., and Shin-Park, K. K., 2006. Verification of the profile of mood states-brief: Cross-cultural analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62 (9): 1173–1180.