Learning to use Functions: The Relationship Between Misconceptions and Self-Efficacy

Maria Kallia

Sue Sentance

Computer programming is one of the most researched subjects within computer science education; within this much attention has been focused on exploring the difficulties and common misconceptions that students experience when learning to program. The study reported here has two aims: firstly, to investigate students’ misconceptions around functions by setting up a programming test of advancing difficulty and complexity based on the Bloom and Solo taxonomies, and secondly, to explore the impact that misconceptions have on students’ self-efficacy in programming, along with students’ self-evaluation and self-efficacy in computer science. Our study revealed seven misconceptions in the area of functions, three of which have never before been reported in the literature, to our knowledge. Additionally, the results suggest that misconceptions do not only prohibit students’ progress and learning but have a significant impact on students’ self-efficacy in programming.