The Application of Second Language Acquisition to Programming Language Study

This paper describes a design and implementation of a Second Language Acquisition in a Blended Learning (SLA-aBLe) project that aims to examine the efficacy of SLA approaches for teaching programming language. The project, which has been running for three semesters, modifies specific learning modules in a programming language class using a series of shorter videos with subtitles, online quizzes with tiered questions and comments, and a topic specified discussion board with Q&A sections. The SLA aspect of the SLA-aBLe study is emphasized through the use of strategies defined as best-practice SLA techniques, such as the inclusion of self-testing tired questions and visual-aided explanation in screencasts, more online programming writing assessment, more collaboration, and ‘speak aloud’ in labs. A series of surveys assessing students’ perceptions, attitudes, and satisfaction of students in the SLA-aBLe, and control groups were analyzed. Their academic performance on exam scores was compared. A random group of students were selected and interviewed face-to-face each semester to understand the effectiveness of the SLA-aBLe design. Assessment results confirmed the effectiveness of SLA-aBLe design. Introduction Programming language is a common mandatory course taught in the first year of engineering and computer science programs. These types of courses typically utilize a common programming language (MATLAB, C, Java) to teach students about syntax and programming techniques and to introduce students to applied problem solving1-4. Learning a computer programming language has been known to be difficult for high-school and university students because of the lack of time for practice5, in addition to the conceptual complexity of the topic and logical reasoning processes required for understanding. Programming courses are critical to the learning needs of students in STEM majors, as they provide students with problem solving skills that are easily transferrable and contextually relevant to math and science courses in the curriculum. A programing language typically involves new vocabulary (keywords), punctuation (symbols), and grammatical structures (syntax) that people need to understand in order to communicate with computers5-9. In other words, a programming language is like a second language. Just as knowledge of the vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation do not make someone fluent in a spoken language, being a successful programmer requires more than just rote knowledge. Current introductory programming courses often struggle to provide enough problem solving because so much time is spent on learning the rote elements of the language10. By applying the well-developed cognitive frameworks used in second language acquisition (SLA) 11-15, a Blended Learning (aBLe) course was developed16. In this NSF funded project, different cognitive skills are focused at each of five stages of SLA with the implementation of associated instructional strategies in an Introduction to Computing for Engineers course at a private institution in the southeast14. The course teaches engineering students how to learn a programming language, MATLAB in a blended learning mode17-24. This paper describes the design, implementation of the project across three semesters. Discussion will also focus on the continuous improvements in year two of the project based on the results and feedback obtained in year one25-27. SLA-aBLe Project Design The project was started in summer 2015. Five topics (introduction to MATLAB, data type, input and output, conditional statement, and loop) were designed and implemented using techniques recommended in a SLA approach and aBLe environment. The blended learning environment is defined as a combination of the face to face and online learning environment to utilize strengths of both. Previous research showed that blended learning offers flexibility in terms of availability, and self-paced learning to the students21-24. The SLA approach divides learning into five stages, which are preproduction, early production, speech emergence, intermediate fluency, and advanced fluency. During each learning stage, best practices for teaching and learning are provided. This information and how it was applied in the SLA-aBLe project are presented in Table 1 below. More informative pictures, cartoons, tables, interactive tiered questions following Bloom’s taxonomy, and MATLAB programming were included in the new learning materials, which were recorded at a slower speed of narration according to SLA14. The font of the learning materials was changed from an easy to read font, Calibri, to a hard-toread font, Comic Sans MS so that the materials can improve memory performance and educational outcomes28. There were interactive questions embedded in the videos, which helped test students’ understanding, and the videos could be watched as many times as students wanted. It is hoped by watching a series of short videos and answering tiered questions, students can achieve the preproduction stage as specified in SLA. Table 1. A comparison of current blended learning and SLA-aBLe development Preproduction (minimal comprehension) Early Production (limited comprehension) Speech Emergence (increased comprehension) Intermediate Fluency (very good comprehensio n) Advanced Fluency Current Blended Learning Few pictures and visuals. Some topics are not well explained. Not enough self testing questions in the screencasts. There are multiple choice questions but no simple programs. Facebook is used but there is no group discussion. Students begin reading and writing in their programming language by solving different engineering problems. Give students more challenging problems to synthetize what they have learned. Open-ended engineering project to challenge their understanding and expand their knowledge. Teaching Strategies in SLAaBLe Use pictures and visuals; speak slowly and use simple and shorter words to draw connection between SLA and programming languages; Reinforce learning by giving more self testing questions without adding in pressure. Reinforce learning by asking students to produce simple programs in addition to the multiple choice questions; use discussion board to encourage group discussion. Emphasize tiered questions and ask students to do a “think, pair, share” to process the new concepts. Emphasize compare and contrast different concepts. Allow students to explain their problem solving process. Project presentation opportunity will be offered to students to enhance their understanding . Research Questions and Topics of Interest to be Presented The information and the research questions that will be addressed in this paper include: 1. A discussion of course improvements made from Year 1 to Year 2 of the project 2. Results from the demographic, motivational and workload assessments used in the project 3. From the motivational aspect of assessment, we wished to answer the following research question: I. Will SLA-aBLe help motivate students to learn in a simplified and easy to understand environment? II. Will SLA-aBLe improve student performance in programming language study? This question was assessed by comparing student grades across SLA-aBLe and non-SLA sections of the course. III. How did students perceive the effectiveness of their learning experience in the SLA-aBLe course? 1. Project Improvements in Year 2 During year one of the project, the researchers conducted a random prize drawing for students in the class who responded to the assessment surveys. At the time the students received their prize, they were also asked to participate in a short, voluntary interview conducted by the primary researcher to gain information about their perception of the class25. Based on students’ feedback in year one, we continued to improve the project design in the second year by adding subtitles to each video to help understand the content; adding music at the beginning and the end of the video to create a relaxed study environment; reducing some video length to10 minutes long to keep their attention. Past research shows that at the preproduction stage of SLA, students have minimal comprehension11-14. They will try to comprehend the given messages than they produce. The instruction should be clear and easy to understand. Figure 1 shows a snapshot of new video design with subtitle. Figure 1. A snapshot of new video design with subtitle in the second year Early production skills were obtained by asking students to take an online quiz after watching videos. Improvements included adding comments to quiz questions and answers to help understanding the mistakes and guide them to the right answers; changing completing the whole program writing problem to completing the incomplete programming writing problem to reduce student’s work load. A discussion board on Canvas was used to facilitate group discussion and provide instructional assistance online. Improvement included adding Q&A to the discussion board to answer common questions students have. Figure 2 shows new online quiz design with comments added in each answer. Figure 3 shows the new discussion board design with Q&A. On the second day in the lab, each instructor spent the first 5-10 minutes to go over the common mistakes found in the online quizzes. Then students were required to conduct “think, pair, share” exercises in the following 25 minutes so that they can think about what they have learned online, explain their learning to their partners, and share their experience facilitating cognitive skills development in the speech emergence stage. After the “think, pair, share” exercise, students were allowed to start their more complicated individual assignment. It is expected that after the completion of the individual assignment, students can demonstrate excellent comprehension and enter the intermediate fluency stage. Finally, at the advanced fluency stage, students develop and refine their knowledge of more sop