Educating Programmers: A Reflection on Barriers to Deliberate Practice

TL;DR

This paper examines cognitive and emotional barriers that hinder beginner programmers from engaging in deliberate practice and proposes adaptable instructional strategies to overcome these challenges.

Contribution

It introduces a framework for designing learning environments that address misconceptions and affective barriers to improve programming practice.

Findings

Identifies misconceptions as barriers to practice

Suggests soft scaffolding and feedback as solutions

Highlights importance of self-enhancement in learning

Abstract

Programming is a craft which often demands that learners engage in a significantly high level of individual practice and experimentation in order to acquire basic competencies. However, practice behaviours can be undermined during the early stages of instruction. This is often the result of seemingly trivial misconceptions that, when left unchecked, create cognitive-affective barriers. These interact with learners' self-beliefs, potentially inducing affective states that inhibit practice. This paper questions how to design a learning environment that can address this issue. It is proposed that analytical and adaptable approaches, which could include soft scaffolding, ongoing detailed informative feedback and a focus on self-enhancement alongside skill development, can help overcome such barriers.