The Effect of Turtle Graphics Approach on Students' Motivation to Learn Programming: A Case Study in a Malaysian University

Abstract

Computer programming is not an easy subject to learn or teach, particularly to first-year students in higher learning institutions. Numerous past studies have shown that students faced difficulties in comprehending and applying the programming concept when writing programs to solve problems. A slight negative experience at the initial stage of the studies is enough to disappoint the students. This then resulted in lowering the motivation of students to learn programming which impacted the students' performance in the programming course. Thus, an approach must be developed so that the motivation to learn and practice programming remains high. This article proposes the use of Turtle Graphics at the initial stage of Java Programming course in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Via this approach, by writing suitable programs, the students are able to produce animations and graphics output. Students' motivation levels are then measured via the ARCS model, which measure the students' motivation based on four aspects, namely attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. The results of this study found that the students demonstrate high motivation in all four motivational aspects.

The Effect of Teaching Physical Programming on Computational Thinking Skills and Self-Efficacy Perceptions Towards Computational Thinking

“…This, in turn, can hinder the development of students' computational thinking skills (Sung et al, 2017). Similarly, Bakar et al (2020) pointed out that having even minor negative experiences during the initial stages of programming learning can lead to students becoming discouraged, potentially harming their programming performance potential.…”

“…Students experience significant difficulties in acquiring the skills needed to learn programming languages and in transforming the acquired learning into actual performance (Ozdinc & Altun, 2014). Since learners’ first experiences in learning programming are vital, a dedicated approach should be developed that aims at keeping their motivation sufficiently high as they learn (Bakar et al, 2020).…”

Adoption of Visual Programming Environments in Programming Learning

“…Many environments for graphical programming with high educational value are available and more attractive compared to textual programming. Some of these environments have been suggested as elements of school learning methodology for problem-solving development [24].…”

“…Visual programming language solves issues novices face through a focus on the programming language logic while removing the need to learn the programming language syntax beforehand or write many code lines [24]. These tools allow novices to master programmatic concepts before understanding the goal language's syntax and focusing on problem logic before syntax.…”

Analysis of the learning object-oriented programming factors

“…According to Su and Hsu [8], reducing students' difficulties in grasping the concepts, principles, and rules of an object-oriented programming language may improve their performance, competency, and motivation to learn the language. As a result, various studies have been conducted on making programming more motivating and interesting, enhancing performance, and boosting programmers' confidence [9], [10]. Therefore, in order for students to learn an object-oriented programming language, it is necessary to determine the fundamental factors that affect their learning.…”