An Empirical Investigation of the Relationship Between Success in Mathematics and Visual Programming Courses

Journal of Information Systems Education, Winter 2003 by White, Garry, Sivitanides, Marcos

ABSTRACT

Many universities do not have prerequisites for the introductory computer visual programming course. Therefore, faculty and students do not have any means of predicting the student's performance in this course. This research addresses this issue. Past research and accepted theory are presented to show the cognitive requirements for success in a first procedural programming course to be similar to those required for success in a mathematics course. Such research is lacking for visual programming. This research shows similar correlations between math courses and visual programming courses. Significant positive correlations were found between grades from Freshmen mathematics courses, ACT math scores, SAT math scores and grades from a Sophomore introductory visual programming course. This indicates that students who perform well in Freshman level Math courses, possess the cognitive characteristics required to perform equally well in Sophomore level visual programming classes. We can predict that students who perform well in math courses will perform equally well in a visual programming course.

Keywords: cognitive development, prerequisites, programming languages, procedural programming, visual languages, mathematics, business mathematics.

INTRODUCTION

There is a need to have prerequisites for programming courses to ensure that those who enroll have the necessary cognitive skills to be successful. A strong mathematics background predicts success in procedural programming (Alspaugh, 1970; Ricardo, 1983; Ignatuk, 1986). Studies have shown that math scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT-M) and the American College Testing program (ACT) correlate with procedural programming course grades (Renk, 1987; Ott, 1989). Several other studies have shown a relationship between mathematics proficiency and success in procedural programming (Taylor and Mounfield, 1991). These studies support the practice of mathematics prerequisites for computer courses (Ralston, 1984; Saicdian, 1992).

However, there is no research to show whether this is true or not with visual programming. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether, like with procedural programming, there is a relationship between mathematics proficiency and success in visual programming. The Null hypothesis used in this research is: "there is no relationship (predictability) between success in Math courses and success in a Visual Programming course."

1.2 Definitions of Procedural and Visual Programming

A procedural programming language is characterized by three properties: the sequential execution of instructions, the use of variables representing memory locations, and the use of assignment to change the values of variables (Louden, 1993). An example of such a language is COBOL. The instructions consist of three structure types: sequential, decision, and iteration. The instructions are placed in modules or subroutines with the data declarations kept separately from the procedure code.

Visual programming, such as Visual Basic, consists of visual objects that contain procedural code. An object can be loosely described as a collection of memory locations together with all the operations that can change the values of these memory locations (Louden, 1993). Data declarations, data definitions and program instructions are all under one identifier, which is known as an object. The language characteristic of Visual programming is the manipulation of visual objects on a computer screen.

Visual Basic evolved from and is an enhancement of regular procedural BASIC (Pietromonaco, 2002; Shelly & Cashman & Quasney, 2003). Visual Basic has the code for the procedural structures of sequence, iteration, and selection with the added features of visual object-oriented components. The visual components, such as a button, are known as objects. They have properties and event procedures (Nelson, 1993). Visual Basic "public" and "private" procedures are like OOP public and private methods. Visual objects encapsulate properties and eventprocedures (Schneider, 1999). Such characteristics are lacking in procedural languages, therefore making visual programming different from procedural programming..

The literature supports the idea that Visual Basic is a type of Visual Programming language, different from procedural. (Buchner, 1999; Grehan, 1996a, 1996b; Llewellyn & Stanton & Roberts, 2002; Oz, 2002; Potter, 2003; Spain, 1996; Stair and Reynolds, 2001). One academic text book describes Visual Basic as an OOP language, rather than a third generation procedural language like BASIC, C, COBOL, Pascal (O'Brien, 2004). Visual Basic supports a syntax that looks a little objectoriented (Holtzman, 1996; Bradley & Millspaugh, 2003). A report describes the extent to which object-oriented (OO) programming can be performed in Visual Basic (Kai &McKim, 1998).

There is a distinction between procedural languages and Visual Basic. "In procedure-oriented languages, the emphasis of a program is on how to accomplish a task. The programmer must instruct the computer every step of the way. The programmer determines and controls the order in which the computer should process the instructions. Object-oriented/event-driven programming languages emphasis is on the objects included in the user interface (such as buttons) and the events (such as clicking) that occur when those objects are used. Visual Basic is an object-oriented/event-driven programming language." (Zak, 1999).