From paper to screen: a performance comparison in programming challenges in Elementary School
Abstract
This study investigates how different media (paper and the Robomind digital environment) impact the performance of 8th and 9th-grade students in solving problems involving logical reasoning and abstraction. To this end, an exploratory study was conducted using an action research methodology and a qualitative and quantitative approach, in which students performed equivalent challenges in both media, accompanied by direct observation. The results indicate that there was better performance in the Robomind digital environment due to the immediate feedback and the possibility of testing and correcting the commands several times, which facilitated the construction of solutions, while in the paper environment, students had more difficulty interpreting the statements, planning the steps and structuring algorithms.References
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Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive science, 12(2):257–285.
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Carr, N. (2020). The shallows: What the Internet is doing to our brains. WW Norton & Company.
da Silva, T. R., Barros, I. S., Sousa, L. K. D. S., Sá, A. L. D., Silva, A. F. M., Araujo, M. C. S., and da Silva Aranha, E. H. (2021). Um mapeamento sistemático sobre o ensino e aprendizagem de programação. Revista Novas Tecnologias na Educação, 19(1):156–165.
Glassman, E. L., Scott, J., Singh, R., Guo, P. J., and Miller, R. C. (2015). Overcode: Visualizing variation in student solutions to programming problems at scale. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI), 22(2):1–35.
Grover, S. and Pea, R. (2013). Computational thinking in k–12: A review of the state of the field. Educational researcher, 42(1):38–43.
Joyner, D., Arrison, R., Ruksana, M., Salguero, E., Wang, Z., Wellington, B., and Yin, K. (2019). From clusters to content: Using code clustering for course improvement. In Proceedings of the 50th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education, pages 780–786.
Krishnamurthi, S. and Fisler, K. (2019). Programming paradigms and beyond. In Fincher, S. A. and Robins, A. V., editors, The Cambridge Handbook of Computing Education Research, pages 377–423. Cambridge University Press.
Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia Learning. Cambridge University Press.
Melo, R., Souza, T., Oliveira, E., Galvao, L., Pessoa, M., and Fernandes, D. (2025). Explorando o uso de llms para rotular estratégias de programação. In Simpósio Brasileiro de Educação em Computação (EDUCOMP), pages 178–190. SBC.
Monteiro, V. A. and Holanda, M. (2023). Pensamento computacional e scratch: Um relato de experiências com estudantes do ensino médio público no distrito federal. In Anais do III Simpósio Brasileiro de Educação em Computação, pages 254–261. SBC.
Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. Basic Books, New York.
Pengelley, J., Whipp, P. R., and Malpique, A. (2024). A testing load: a review of cognitive load in computer and paper-based learning and assessment. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 34(1):1–17.
Resnick, M., Maloney, J., Monroy-Hernández, A., Rusk, N., Eastmond, E., Brennan, K., Millner, A., Rosenbaum, E., Silver, J., Silverman, B., et al. (2009). Scratch: programming for all. Communications of the ACM, 52(11):60–67.
Robins, A. V. (2019a). 12 novice programmers and introductory programming. The Cambridge handbook of computing education research, page 327.
Robins, A. V. (2019b). Novice programmers and introductory programming. In Fincher, S. A. and Robins, A. V., editors, The Cambridge Handbook of Computing Education Research, pages 327–376. Cambridge University Press.
Rocha, M. S. A. (2021). A influência da tecnologia na educação. Tecnologias e mídias digitais na educação: conceitos práticos e teóricos, page 7.
Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive science, 12(2):257–285.
Wing, J. M. (2006). Computational thinking. Commun. ACM, 49(3):33–35.
Published
2025-11-24
How to Cite
MARTINS, Waldecir da Silva; MACENA, Jeniffer; PIRES, Fernanda; PESSOA, Marcela.
From paper to screen: a performance comparison in programming challenges in Elementary School. In: WORKSHOP ON COMPUTING AT SCHOOL (WIE), 31. , 2025, Curitiba/PR.
Anais [...].
Porto Alegre: Sociedade Brasileira de Computação,
2025
.
p. 488-499.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5753/wie.2025.13495.
