Skip to main content
Article
"Hour of Code”: Can It Change Students’ Attitudes Toward Programming?
Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice
  • Jie Du, Grand Valley State University
  • Hayden Wimmer, Georgia Southern University
  • Roy Rada, University of Maryland
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-23-2016
DOI
10.28945/3421
Disciplines
Abstract

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science organized by Code.org, a non-profit dedicated to expanding participation in computer science. This study investigated the impact of the Hour of Code on students’ attitudes towards computer programming and their knowledge of programming. A sample of undergraduate students from two universities was selected to participate. Participants completed an Hour of Code tutorial as part of an undergraduate course. An electronic questionnaire was implemented in a pre-survey and post-survey format to gauge the change in student attitudes toward programming and their programming ability. The findings indicated the positive impact of the Hour of Code tutorial on students’ attitude toward programming. However, the students’ programming skills did not significantly change. The authors suggest that a deeper alignment of marketing, teaching, and content would help sustain the type of initiative exemplified by the Hour of Code.

Copyright

Article obtained from Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice. All articles of this journal, whether published in the past or future, are now licensed to you under a Creative Commons By-NC license and copyright to articles is returned and retained by their respective authors.

Creative Commons License
**Select License for Reuse**
Citation Information
Jie Du, Hayden Wimmer and Roy Rada. ""Hour of Code”: Can It Change Students’ Attitudes Toward Programming?" Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice Vol. 15 (2016) p. 53 - 73 ISSN: 2165-316X
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/hayden-wimmer/7/