Task specific programming languages as a first programming language

Summary form only given. This research investigates whether there is a difference in the acquisition of programming skills and knowledge as a function of a student's first language. Our research is concerned with the comparison of task specific languages and general programming languages. In many engineering programs students are first exposed to the principles of computational solutions to problems by means of task specific languages, such as MatLab. They are then either expected to be able to use, or are specifically taught programming using more general purpose languages, such as C. Our question is whether there is a developmental preference for learning a task specific language first, or a general purpose language first. Historically, educators have emphasized fundamentals prior to application. A case could therefore be made that a student should be taught general programming skills in the context of a general purpose language before solving problems in a task specific language. More recently, contextualized educators would prefer the initial learning of task specific languages. Our research anticipates answering the question of the effectiveness of transfer of programming skills as a function of first language learning. The dimensions of this question include but are not limited to, how the languages are used, what types of problems are presented to the students, is transfer prompted between the languages, do students look for surface or structural similarities, and what are the assumptions and expectations of the faculty who teach these languages.