The relatively low percentage of students successfully completing introductory programming courses (CS) has been a concern for several decades. Much research has been conducted to identify success factors for individual students, as well as to develop and try out various approaches and interventions to improve these results. However, the results are inconsistent, and although a variety of teaching approaches show some promise, a common understanding of how to reduce attrition rates in computer science—and in CS1 in particular—to levels comparable to other fields of study has not been reached.
In this master's project, you will use historical data as well as observations, tests, and interviews of new students to track individual students' progression through the course. The aim is to analyze whether (and how) early understanding (and misconceptions) affect learning and understanding of concepts introduced throughout the course, and ultimately performance on the final exam.
A precise problem formulation and research questions to be addressed will be developed by you in cooperation with your supervisors. The resulting thesis will typically combine analyses of data collected locally with methods and results from international computer science education research.