Exploring Novice Programmers' Hint Requests in an Intelligent Block-Based Coding Environment
Abstract
Block-based programming environments are widely used by novices who are learning computer science. However, even in block-based coding environments that have been carefully developed to serve novices, students frequently struggle and require additional support. A promising avenue to provide this support is the use of intelligent tutoring systems, which offer adaptive hints to assist learners. In order to provide students with the adaptive hints they need, we must investigate their help-seeking behaviors and identify patterns surrounding their need for support. In this experience report, we examine data collected from 174 college students in an introductory engineering course, who used an intelligent block-based coding environment to learn computer science. These students made more than 1,000 hint requests, which we represent in two-dimensional space along axes of elapsed time and code completeness. Analysis revealed five major clusters of hint requests, which we further characterized through qualitative examination of the coding trajectories that preceded each hint request. We also analyzed how students' incoming knowledge and perceived computer skill were related to their help-seeking behaviors. Students with higher incoming knowledge requested hints when their code was more complete than students with lower incoming knowledge. Students with high perceived computer skill asked for hints when their code was less complete than those with low perceived computer skill. The…
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