Measuring Programming Language Proficiency.

AbstractA problem inherent in the teaching of programming languages is determining the most cost-effective way of measuring student knowledge of programming concepts. The primary difficulty is that programming proficiency, like proficiency in a natural language, can be measured in many ways. This paper discusses the measurement of programming language learning by testing students' knowledge of syntax rules, ability to read programs, and ability to write logically correct programs. Different strategies for testing proficiency in these areas are presented and discussed. These strategies vary in terms of their relationship to each other, the ease of designing them, and the difficulty in their implementation.The findings of two empirical studies on programming language learning indicate a direct relationship between ability to read programs and ability to write programs. This finding is important since the measurement of reading ability is shown to require a significantly smaller time investment in evaluating...