Analyzing Student Practices in Theory of Computation in Light of Distributed Cognition Theory
Analyzing Student Practices in Theory of Computation in Light of Distributed Cognition Theory
复制标题
根据分布式认知理论分析学生的计算理论实践
DOI：
10.1145/2960310.2960331
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发表时间：
2016
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Christiane Frede
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Maria Knobelsdorf;Christiane Frede
本文介绍了一项定性研究，研究了本科CS专业如何从单独形成的研究组中的计算理论（TOC）课程中解决分配。我们将分布式认知理论用作基本的理论框架，并提出两个研究问题：1）学生如何使用数学符号来处理他们的作业； 2）如何以及这意味着学生向学生保证自己的方法是正确的？我们观察到了12个本科CS专业，其任务是为在三个研究小组中工作的NP完整性开发证明。本研究中收集的数据表明，学生缺乏工作能力，尤其是在创建数学铭文方面，这是他们解决TOC分配困难的关键方面。该结果很重要，因为它突出了需要重新审视有关学生在TOC上遇到困难的原因的广泛使用的假设，例如，由于TOC的抽象和理论性质，缺乏兴趣。
This paper describes a qualitative study investigating how undergraduate CS majors solved assignments from a Theory of Computation (ToC) course in individually-formed study groups. We use Distributed Cognition Theory as the underlying theoretical framework and ask two research questions: 1) How do students use mathematical notations to work on their assignment, and 2) how and by which means do students assure themselves that their approach is correct? We observed 12 undergraduate CS majors tasked with developing a proof for NP-completeness working in three study groups. Data collected in this study points to students' lack of working proficiency, especially with regard to creating mathematical inscriptions, as a key aspect in their difficulties in solving ToC assignments. This result is significant because it highlights the need to reexamine widely used assumptions about reasons for students' difficulties with ToC, e.g., lack of interest due to abstract and theoretical nature of ToC.