Intention to Remain in a Computing Program: Exploring the Role of Passion and Grit

While there are many educational initiatives to promote computer programming (or coding)—the core of an IT major—to the masses of incoming students, we lack pedagogical strategies to retain IT students. This study explores how harmonious passion, obsessive passion, and grit influence computer programming attitude (i.e., coding affect, cognition and behavior), which can lead to student retention. Based on data collected from 109 undergraduate IT students enrolled in a programming course, our exploratory study reveals that harmonious passion leads to positive coding affect and cognition. Obsessive passion has a negative effect on coding affect but contributes significantly to coding behavior. The finding also shows that students who in a variety of coding behaviors are fueled by harmonious and obsessive passion, and grit. Coding affect and behaviors, therefore influence the intention to stay an IT major, suggesting that educators can change students’ computer programming attitude by fostering harmonious passion and grit as they engage in programming activities.

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