Addressing Programming Anxiety among Non-Computer Science Distance Learners: A UPOU Case Study

Abstract

Studies have shown that anxiety has a negative effect on learning programming, which determines the success of students in a programming course, thereby decreasing retention rates. A worldwide campaign has been recently launched to search for ways and design learning activities for lessening or eliminating this anxiety among Computer Science learners. This study hopes to contribute to this effort by finding out if using innovative online interactive platforms in an introductory programming course will reduce programming anxiety among non-computer science students. Three online interactive platforms were utilized in an introductory programming course feared by many multimedia students at the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU). Specifically, the new course design involved students under the program of Bachelor of Arts in Multimedia Studies taking MMS 141 during the third trimester of Academic Year 2013-2014. The students were observed and interviewed throughout the duration of the course and were asked to answer a 6-item questionnaire for programming anxiety that was patterned after the computer anxiety scale. Results have shown that there was a significant decrease in programming anxiety among these students after taking the course that employed these online interactive coding platforms.