[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-599833-105":59,"doc-detail-599833-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","individual-differences-in-learning-computer-programming-a-social-cognitive-approach","Individual Differences in Learning Computer Programming - A Social Cognitive Approach","","This study investigates the relative importance of social-cognitive variables in university students’ computer programming performance. Spatial ability, working memory, self-efficacy, gender, prior knowledge, and the attended university were analyzed for 129 second-year students who completed Programming Languages-I across three universities. Spatial ability was measured with mental rotation and spatial visualization, and working memory via visual-spatial and verbal sub-dimensions. Boosted Regression Trees and Random Forests identified a predictive user model, highlighting spatial orientation skill, spatial memory, mental orientation, self-efficacy perception, and verbal memory.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/individual-differences-in-learning-computer-programming-a-social-cognitive-approach/599833/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/individual-differences-in-learning-computer-programming-a-social-cognitive-approach/599833.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"PakDamar76","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-29","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What variables does the study examine in relation to programming performance?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The study analyzes spatial ability, working memory, self-efficacy, gender, prior knowledge, and the university the students attend.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How are spatial ability and working memory measured in the research?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Spatial ability is measured through mental rotation and spatial visualization tests, while working memory is assessed using visual-spatial and verbal working memory sub-dimensions.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Which variables were found to significantly contribute to predicting programming performance?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Spatial orientation skill, spatial memory, mental orientation, self-efficacy perception, and verbal memory were found to contribute significantly with equal importance weights.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},599833,1792210135,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":24,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":56,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144},962090893057,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","Individual Differences in Learning Computer Programming: A Social Cognitive Approach  \nSacide Guzin Mazman Akar  \nUsak University, Turkey  \nArif Altun  \nHacettepe University, Turkey  \nAbstract  \nThe purpose of this study is to investigate and conceptualize the ranks of importance of social cognitive variables on university students’ computer programming performances.  \nSpatial ability, working memory, self-efficacy, gender, prior knowledge and the universities students attend were taken as variables to be analyzed. The study has been conducted with 129 2nd year undergraduate students, who have taken Programming Languages-I course from three universities. Spatial ability has been measured through mental rotation and spatial visualization tests; working memory has been attained through the measurement of two sub-dimensions; visual-spatial and verbal working memory. Data were analyzed through Boosted Regression Trees and Random Forests, which are non-parametric predictive data mining techniques. The analyses yielded a user model that would predict students’ computer programming performance based on various social and cognitive variables. The results yielded that the variables, which contributed to the programming performance prediction significantly, were spatial orientation skill, spatial memory, mental orientation, self-efficacy perception and verbal memory with equal importance weights.  \nYet, the effect of prior knowledge and gender on programming performance has not been found to be significant. The importance of ranks of variables and the proportion of predicted variance of programming performance could be used as guidelines when designing instruction and developing curriculum.  \nKeywords: Improving classroom teaching; Computer programming; Social cognitive  \napproach; Individual differences  \nIntroduction  \nProgramming is a very complex and multi-staged process, where each sub-process requires a different content knowledge, demands different cognitive processes (Ambrosio, Costa, Almeida, Franco, & Macedo, 2011) and numerous skills to be addressed in teaching programming (Howard, 2002; Lehman, Bruning, & Horn, 1983) . For instance, reading comprehension, critical reasoning, systematic thinking, acquiring cognitive components in problem identification, planning and producing solutions, creativity, intellectual curiosity, mathematical skills, situational reasoning, procedural thinking, temporary reasoning, analytical and quantitative reasoning, making use of different sources, being creative and flexible in producing solutions are just some of those reported skills (Ambrosio et al., 2011; Lau & Yuen, 2011) .  \nProgramming competencies are based on knowledge and skills; knowledge consists of definitions, facts, language constructs (i.e., syntax) and specific algorithms of programming knowledge whereas programming skills consists of certain required actions including the strategies in applying this knowledge (Caspersen, 2007) . Individuals perform differently when they transfer their knowledge of programming knowledge into actions. Yet, whether there is any individual differences and how those differences play a role in programming remain a salient question to be explored.  \nIn search of an answer to explore these individual differences, researchers undertake an expertnovice paradigm. The main underlying premise with expert-novice paradigm is that if we knew how experts perform and which steps they follow; one can easily observe the differences between users. Therefore, these differences help educators to make judgments about (i.e.,(Ambrosio et al., 2011; Mancy & Reid, 2004), and develop instructional guidance in teaching programming for poor or unsuccessful individuals (i.e., Mason, Seton & Cooper, 2016) . Research about the individuals with high programming performance in general reported that those individuals are intelligent, intellectually challenging, and able to think analytically (Byrne & Lyons, 2001) . In a recent stud","cbCaikBVnbNs4nRC","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaikBVnbNs4nRC","pdf",687005,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction","[{\"question\":\"What variables does the study examine in relation to programming performance?\",\"answer\":\"The study analyzes spatial ability, working memory, self-efficacy, gender, prior knowledge, and the university the students attend.\"},{\"question\":\"How are spatial ability and working memory measured in the research?\",\"answer\":\"Spatial ability is measured through mental rotation and spatial visualization tests, while working memory is assessed using visual-spatial and verbal working memory sub-dimensions.\"},{\"question\":\"Which variables were found to significantly contribute to predicting programming performance?\",\"answer\":\"Spatial orientation skill, spatial memory, mental orientation, self-efficacy perception, and verbal memory were found to contribute significantly with equal importance weights.\"}]","Individual Differences in Learning Computer Programming - A Social Cognitive Approach | PDF",1792089528,48]