Identification of Student-Related Factors Influencing Programming Courses Learning at UiTM Cawangan Pulau Pinang using Factor Analysis
Abstract
Many people claim that teaching and studying computer programming is challenging, mainly for learners who are not from computer science background. It might be difficult for instructors to help students grasp programming principles and acquire the necessary programming abilities to solve problems in the everyday life. Students' lack of logical, creative and critical thinking leads to flaws in problem-based learning implementation (PBL). Based on related past studies, one entity of computer programming learning challenges, namely the student, was examined and analyzed. An online questionnaire was created to collect data from 241 diploma and degree students from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FKM) and the Faculty of Civil Engineering (FKA) who have completed programming courses at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Cawangan Pulau Pinang. An analysis using descriptive statistics and factor analysis was applied to determine the student-related component that has the greatest impact on students' learning of programming subjects. The result showed that although some students experience frustration when their lecturer is absent or the conversation is interrupted, the majority of students do not experience any problems with their interest in programming languages or their study habits. Additionally, students' interests and habits were observed as the most influential variables in their decision to learn programming. They are always prepared in class and put a great effort into completing the assessments assigned to them. The findings can be applied to enhance the instructional methodology for programming classes to improve students' comprehension and problem-solving abilities in these subjects.
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