Analysing the Enacted Object of Learning in Lab Assignments in Programming Education

In this paper we propose a way to analyse the enacted object of learning in written instructions for lab assignments in programming. Moreover, we apply the proposed kind of analysis to empirical data. The data stem from a small pilot study where we studied instruction material for one specific lab session, concerning non-void methods in Java. The larger framework for the results presented here is a research project aimed at better understanding the relation between how novice students learn theory and how they learn practice in the computer lab.