The 'Art' of Programming: Exploring Student Conceptions of Programming through the Use of Drawing Methodology

Abstract

In this exploratory study, we analysed 396 drawings by first-year programming students in response to the question "what does programming mean to you". We were surprised by the level of care that students gave to their drawings, and we were confronted by the degree of emotion contained within the drawings. To date, few studies have focused specifically on programming students' emotional reactions to their learning experiences. Here, we analysed our student drawings as 'group data', taking note of recurring artefacts, actors, activities, aspirations and affect across the entire dataset. The observed patterns noted in the drawings raised questions around how students conceptualise programming, both as a subject and potential future profession. As contributions to the field, we: (1) discuss the potential of drawing as a research methodology for computer science; (2) present our findings and observations; and (3) suggest how this type of data could be used to better inform teaching practice in novice programming courses.