A Choice-Based Programming Learning Method to Develop Problem-Solving Skills

Programming is becoming a new literacy, and programming education is being implemented in various settings. One of the issues faced by novice programmers is a lack of problem-solving skills. They have difficulty planning abstract solutions and expressing them in a program. This study proposes a programming learning system that supports novice programmers’ thinking processes when solving programming tasks. The system presents candidates for solutions in natural language and allows the user to solve the problem by choosing from a limited number of options. The method allows users to repeat quick trial-and-error solutions without being interrupted by coding-induced problems. We implemented the proposed system as a web application for use on a smartphone and applied it in a university’s introductory programming class. After applying the proposed system to 37 students for four weeks, we found a correlation between the number of times a user selected an option using the proposed system and the class task score. We confirmed the possibility that using the proposed system can improve problem-solving skills for programming tasks.