Regulatory Strategies for Novice Programming Students

Self-regulated learning holds great significance within the realm of introductory computer programming. It refers to the active involvement of students in their academic journey, encompassing motivational, behavioral, metacognitive, and cognitive aspects. In addition, the social regulation of learning plays a crucial role in programming education, wherein students collaborate to regulate their cognition, behavior, motivation, and emotions, fostering temporary coordination with peers or teachers. Unfortunately, current teaching and learning methodologies in programming tend to overlook the development of self-regulation, co-regulation, and shared regulation skills. Therefore, in this research we investigate the extent to which students in introductory programming employ regulation strategies during their programming endeavors. Through an exploratory study involving 198 (one hundred ninety-eight) participants, it was discovered that a significant number of students fail to engage in regulatory strategies while learning introductory programming. Consequently, there is a pressing need to implement strategies that support students’ regulation during the learning process. To address this issue, 8 (eight) instructional scripts have been developed for teachers, incorporating evidence-based principles of programming learning and focusing on fostering regulatory strategies.