Experiencing programming assignments in CS1: the emotional toll.

ABSTRACTThe constant comparative method was used to explicate the experience computing majors have with programming assignments in a CS1 course. Findings from a series of four interviews conducted with a purposeful sample of nine students revealed that the primary reflective experience with programming assignments was emotional. That is, the way students remembered and discussed their experiences with programming assignments was dominated by emotional experiences and reactions. We identified six stages whose dimensions capture the variation in students' emotional experiences with programming assignments. This paper reports the beginnings of analysis geared at developing a theory of students' programming assignment experience, rich in detail and grounded in student experience. When completed such a theory may lead to curricular supports, interventions, or tools, to help steer student experience away from the most harmful of emotional tolls.