Reading the Code Between the Lines
– Exploring the Structure of metaphors in educational programming resources
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5617/nordina.8774Abstract
Recent work in computer science education shows that natural language plays a pivotal role in learners’ understanding of programming concepts. This study explores metaphorical expressions in four computer programming textbooks and online resources in Swedish upper secondary education. The Metaphor Identification Procedure was applied to identify metaphoric language. The metaphors reveal how expressions such as the ‘program asking’ or the ‘function building’ are structured in relation to embodied experiences. The results show that central concepts are structured in relation to metaphors such as Inanimate Phenomena are Human Agents and Organisation is Physical Structure. Findings also demonstrate differences in the types of metaphors are present in each resource, with Events are Actions communicated most frequently. Lastly, the resources vary in how they describe the role of the programmer: as a ‘constructor’ or ‘instructor’. This implies that the discovered metaphoric structure in textual resources might influence students’ subsequent learning of programming concepts.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
