An objective comparison of languages for teaching introductory programming

Linda Mannila, Michael De Raadt

Research output: Conference materialsPaperpeer-review

Abstract

The question of which language to use in introductory programming has been cause for protracted debate, often based on emotive opinions. Several studies on the benefits of individual languages or comparisons between two languages have been conducted, but there is still a lack of objective data used to inform these comparisons. This paper presents a list of criteria based on design decisions used by prominent teaching-language creators. The criteria, once justified, are then used to compare eleven languages which are currently used in introductory programming courses. Recommendations are made on how these criteria can be used or adapted for different situations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages32-37
Number of pages6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2006
Event6th Baltic Sea Conference on Computing Education Research - Koli Calling 2006 - Uppsala, Sweden
Duration: 1 Feb 20061 Feb 2006

Conference

Conference6th Baltic Sea Conference on Computing Education Research - Koli Calling 2006
Country/TerritorySweden
CityUppsala
Period01/02/200601/02/2006

Fields of Science

  • industry
  • programming languages
  • teaching

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