Experiences Evaluating Student Attitudes in an Introductory Programming Course

This experience report describes using a validated survey instrument to measure changes in student attitudes toward computing across a CS1 course. The choice of the survey instrument is described, with links to online resources for several existing instruments. The setup of a within-subjects design using preand post-tests at each end of a semester-long programming course allows changes in attitudes to be assessed. Results from analyzing 197 surveys received over a two-semester period are presented. Most attitude measures were quite high. The only significant change was an increase in the perceived importance of computing among the students. However, student aversion scores were a significant predictor of student success. Lessons learned are presented along with future plans.