The Relationship between Prerequisite Proficiency and Student Performance in an Upper-Division Computing Course
The Relationship between Prerequisite Proficiency and Student Performance in an Upper-Division Computing Course
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高年级计算机课程中必备熟练程度与学生表现之间的关系
DOI：
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发表时间：
2019
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Leo Porter
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文献类型：
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作者：
Sander Valstar;W. Griswold;Leo Porter
虽然人们普遍认为，学习一门课程的先决条件是成功的关键，但很少有人知道熟练掌握这些课程的先决条件知识如何影响以后课程的表现。具体来说，目前还不清楚学生对必修课程材料的理解程度，以及这种理解是否会影响他们在后续课程中的成绩。此外，在随后的课程中，学生是否从先决课程中加强了他们的知识，如果他们这样做了，这种改进对后续课程有影响吗？本研究考察了北美一所大型研究型大学高年级数据结构课程的208名学生的先决知识。进入课程的先决条件熟练程度低得惊人，近三分之一的学生表现出低熟练程度，只有四分之一的学生表现出高熟练程度。学生们在学期中适度提高了他们的熟练程度，将三分之一的低熟练程度提高到至少中等熟练程度。总体而言，期末考试成绩与前提知识显著相关。对于初始熟练程度较低的学生，熟练程度的提高与期末成绩显著相关。这些结果表明，对于英语熟练程度较低的学生，需要重视对其前提知识的强化。
While it is widely believed that taking a class's prerequisites is critical for success, less is known about how proficiency with the prerequisite knowledge from those courses affects performance in later courses. Specifically, it is unclear how well students understand material from prerequisite courses and whether that understanding may impact their outcomes in the subsequent course. Additionally, in subsequent courses, do students strengthen their knowledge from prerequisite courses and, if they do, does that improvement matter for the subsequent course? This study examines the prerequisite knowledge of 208 students in an upper-division data structures class at a large North American research university. Prerequisite proficiency on entry to the course was surprisingly low, with nearly a third of students demonstrating low proficiency and only a quarter high proficiency. Students modestly improved their proficiency during the term, lifting a third of those with low proficiency to at least medium proficiency. Overall, final exam performance was significantly correlated with prerequisite knowledge. For those with low initial proficiency, improvement in proficiency was significantly correlated with performance on the final. These results suggest that more attention needs to be placed on reinforcing prerequisite knowledge for those with low proficiency.