Unravelling Physical Manipulatives in the Learning of Coding: Exploring Student Perceptions in the Nexus of Computer Programming and Robotics

In the digital age, computer programming is a valuable skill. However, novice programmers typically encounter problems and challenges that lead to negative reactions and dropout. This study examines how a group of university computer-registered students without programming experience learn computer programming through the coding of robots. Instead of traditional block-based programming to teach computer programming, the study used a robotic element and text-based programming to develop prototypes offering live autonomous code output. A research model was created and tested to determine contributing factors to how students perceived computer programming through coding robots. Belief, Interest, Mathematics, Knowledge, Confidence and Motivation formed the latent variables. The research hypotheses are: 1) Belief affects Confidence, 2) Confidence affects Knowledge, 3) Interest affects Confidence, 4) Mathematics affects Knowledge, and 5) Motivation affects Confidence. Participants included seventy-five students who completed a 5-point, 30-item Likert scale survey to assess their robotics computer programming experience at a University in South Africa. Partial least square-structural equation modelling was conducted to investigate the relationship between latent variables. The model explains the relationship between Belief and Confidence, Confidence and Knowledge, Interest and Confidence, Mathematics and Knowledge, and Motivation and Confidence. Results demonstrate that students studying textbased programming directly with the robotic element were successful. As participants saw their code run on the prototype, robot coding made text-based coding easier to understand. Coding structures were clarified by using robotics to make computing programming concrete. The learning of computer programming integrated through the building of prototypes resulting in autonomous robots enhances the learning experience of text-based code. This research contributes empirical evidence and elucidates the factors that may influence learning satisfaction of text-based computer programming through coding robotics.