Abstract:

Programming is a challenging skill to learn, presenting difficulties for both students and teachers alike. Particularly, non-computer science (CS) major students often face the greatest struggle as they are typically beginners with a different area of interest. This can make the work of professors even more challenging, as they must account for varying levels of motivation and interest among their students in the same classroom due to their diverse backgrounds.

Our study aimed to explore the potential difference in motivation between students majoring in CS and those who are not. In order to achieve this, we used the Course Interest Survey Instrument of the ARCS model approach on a group of engineering students enrolled in a basic programming course, including both CS and non-CS major students. The survey was conducted during the autumn semester of 2021, targeting first-semester students who were using the Python programming language. This particular semester was distinctive due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the University providing hybrid classes. Classes were split into two groups, one group participated in the class remotely, while the other group attended in person, and then alternated.

The application of the ARCS model survey took place during the fourth or fifth week of the course, at a point where students were expected to have gained knowledge on topics such as arithmetic expressions, decision statements, and functions, and had at least one class session on the loop concept. It was applied before the mid-term exam of the course.

Initially, we translated each sentence of the original ARCS survey into Spanish while ensuring that the meaning was accurately preserved. This was done with utmost attention to detail. Subsequently, a Google form was designed to include all 34 questions in their original sequence, preceded by a question inquiring about the student's major.

A group of 7 professors applied a survey to their students across eleven distinct course groups. Some of them completed it during class time, while others did it as an assignment. In total, 527 students participated in the survey.

The survey used the ARCS model questionnaire to measure Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction, as well as overall Motivation levels of the students. Not surprisingly, the results showed a significant difference between CS and non-CS students across all measured scores, which confirmed our initial hypothesis. Based on these findings, we suggest creating separate groups for CS and non-CS students and adopting a different approach to the curricula and learning activities for each group.

Furthermore, we are exploring ways to personalize the learning process for students from diverse majors to ensure motivation throughout the entire course. In future research, we plan to test a set of different activities to determine which ones are more effective and engaging for each major.

Keywords:

Motivation, CS1, basic programming courses, ARCS, engineering majors.