Werner, L., Campe, S., & Denner, J. (2012, February). Children learning computer science concepts via Alice game-programming. In Proceedings of the 43rd ACM technical symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGSCE '12)(pp.427-432). Raleigh, NC: ACM

Summary

Type: Empirical

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to "describe a game-programming course called iGame" across four semesters.

Findings: 1. Elective technology computer game courses for middle school students is a promising strategy. 2. Results were divided into three categories: abstraction and modeling, control structures, and event handlers.

Recommendations: 1. Future studies should include the comparison of students working with different programming environments to determine if some programming constructs are used more frequently than others for reasons such as, Alice is an easy programming environment to learn CS concepts, conditions (e.g., user input, clear instructions, engaging narrative) satisfy for a "good game", or programming constructs that are used for frequently are in sample games and challenges.


Methodology

Sample Size: 325

Notes: Year 1: 91 students participated; Year 2: 90 students participated; Year 3: