Explaining Causes Behind SQL Query Formulation Errors

Identifying SQL Misconceptions of Novices: Findings from a Think-Aloud Study

“…Unfortunately, there is not much work on misconceptions in SQL so far. In one paper we know of, Taipalus [31] discusses causes that could be behind the persistent errors explored in [32]. They map the errors to four cognitive explanations as introduced by Smelcer [27].…”

“…They map the errors to four cognitive explanations as introduced by Smelcer [27]. Unfortunately, this mapping is speculative [31], as they only use the plain text query as submitted, without qualitative discussion with students.…”

“…With this knowledge on SQL errors and programming exercises, we aim to further the work in SQL education by identifying learners' difficulties and misconceptions. In contrast with the work by Taipalus [31], we ran a qualitative think-aloud study in which we asked students to solve query formulation problems. Based on the students' processes, we hypothesize on the underlying causes for their errors.…”

“…While the syntax of SQL is relatively simple in comparison to most programming languages, SQL is not a trivial language to learn. Several works have reported on common errors in the SQL queries written by students and novices, identifying various categories such as syntax errors, logical errors, semantic errors and complications [3,8,21,31,32,34]. In the area of research surrounding SQL education, the main focus has been on the errors made, without expanding on the underlying causes or the misconceptions that novices may hold.…”

“…Early research on the causes of SQL errors hypothesized about five underlying causes: working memory overload, absence of retrieval cues, procedural fixedness, incorrect procedural knowledge, and misperception [27]. Recently, errors in the SQL queries submitted by students were mapped to these five causes by Taipalus [31], without however utilizing qualitative input from the students.…”