Identification of Some Components of Computer Programming Aptitude

Abstract

This study was designed to determine what student characteristics seem to influence proficiency in symbolic and algebraic computer programming. 50 students in a beginning university computer programming course were administered the Thurstone Temperament Schedule, IBM Programmer Aptitude Test, and the Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal. These test scores, along with SCAT scores and a measure of the students' mathematical background, were correlated with measures of student programming proficiency. Those students who possessed a mathematical background of approximately 2 college calculus classes, who scored low on “impulsiveness” and “sociability,” and who scored high on “reflectiveness,” appeared to have “aptitude” for computer programming.