Writing to Learn Programming? : A Single Case Pilot Study

This paper explores the use of writing-to-learn techniques in the context of programming education. It presents a pilot study where a writing assignment is introduced with the purpose of strengthening students' conceptual understanding of a programming construct. The intervention is evaluated using a single case research design, which is augmented by qualitative interview data. Students participating in the study were mildly positive towards the intervention and the results encourage more work on the topic. This work sets directions for further investigations into how writing-to-learn can strengthen programming education and contributes with insights into what kinds of results can be obtained from similar studies and requirements on study designs.