Persistence of Early Misconceptions Hinders Progress in Learning Computer Programming

Contribution:The purpose of this study is: 1) to identify students’ early misconceptions in problem understanding and the use of variables/sequencing in a first-year computer programming course using Python; 2) to quantify how early misconceptions evolve over time; and 3) to characterize how misconceptions in the use of variables/sequencing affect learning more advanced computer programming concepts.Background:It has not been clearly established how early misconceptions evolve over time and how they affect learning later in the semester.Research Questions:1) What are the most common misconceptions in the use of variables/sequencing in a first-year Python course? 2) do those early misconceptions persist late in the semester? and 3) does the persistence of misconceptions in variable/sequencing hinder progress in learning more advanced computer programming concepts?Methodology:We assessed student performance ($n =116$) in multiple choice and short-answer questions that involved reading and/or writing small flowcharts or snippets of Python code.Findings:Problem understanding remains a challenge for ~45% of students until the end of the semester. Misconceptions in variable assignment/sequencing persist late in the semester for ~20% of students, hindering their progress in learning more advanced computer programming concepts.