chungStudentsMisconceptionsTypes2017

2017

Students' Misconceptions About the Types of Values Data Structures Can Store

J. Comput. Sci. Coll., 32, 4

Given the importance of data structures in undergraduate computer science education, we are interested in how students learn to apply data structures. In order to identify points of difficulty in applying data structures, we conducted an exploratory study that involved one-on-one interviews with six undergraduate students. Each student had taken a data structures course within the past year and, therefore, had previously encountered several data structures. The interview participants were primarily given questions that ask them to select a suitable data structure for a particular task. Using qualitative methods, we found that students appeared to hold a misconception regarding what kinds of values can be stored in a data structure. We hypothesize that this misconception limits a student's understanding of how to apply data structures in different situations. Our analysis focuses on interviews with two students who appeared to have this misconception when working with stacks and hash tables. Through identifying instances of this misconception, we hope to provide insight to computer science educators on the difficulties that students face when applying data structures.