Effects of an Art-Oriented STEAM Course on Programming Learning Attitudes and Outcomes

This study implemented a STEAM-based approach to design an art-oriented programming course to improve students’ learning attitudes and performance. This study was conducted over 16 weeks with 31 undergraduate students in a Design and Making in Computer Animation course. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected to evaluate changes in learning programming and explore possible gender differences. The findings revealed that the STEAM course significantly enhanced students’ enjoyment but did not lead to noticeable improvements in learning anxiety or perceived playfulness. Male students generally showed more positive learning attitudes, although no significant gender differences were observed in actual programming performance. Students expressed high satisfaction with the course and demonstrated strong interdisciplinary integration in their final projects. Future courses are encouraged to allocate sufficient time for practice and exploration. At the same time, further research could expand the sample size and examine the effects of such courses on computational thinking development.