Challenges and Possibilities in Motivating Students to Learn Programming in Distance Education: A Systematic Mapping Study

This study seeks to identify the challenges many adult Distance Education students face when learning program-ming. It reviews the literature on strategies intended to address these challenges, focusing on approaches that aim to stimulate the motivation of these students. This systematic mapping study aims to (1) identify the main challenges faced by students when learning programming in Distance Education, specifically those that may have a direct influence on their motivation to continue learning, and (2) investigate the specific characteristics of Distance Education environments that have a positive influence on students' motivation in learning programming, also addressing the pedagogical strategies that guided these investigations. To achieve these objectives, two research questions were used: (RQl) What are the main challenges faced by students when learning programming in Distance Education environments? and (RQ2) What specific characteristics of Distance Education environments can positively influence students' motivation in learning program-ming? This systematic mapping study followed the SEGRESS guidelines. The primary studies were obtained from databases by searching for keywords, focusing on papers published between 2018 and 2023. So, 18 papers were selected that highlighted challenges, such as difficulty in understanding and developing specific skills in the field of Programming, challenges related to the infrastructure available to study, social and emotional aspects, difficulties in defining and following learning strategies, and inefficient teaching support. The strategies adopted in these papers point to technological resources that include adaptive technologies, gamification, personalized feedback, tools that allow the adoption of autonomy and learning management strategies, support for collaboration between peers, social feedback and programming practices using remote laboratories, and flexible environments (text or graphics). This study presents students' challenges and highlights the importance of strategies that pro-mote student motivation and positively impact their performance and retention.