ABSTRACT Background and Context: Vygotsky's sociocultural theory emphasises the importance of language, mediation, and the transfer of skills and knowledge from the social into the cognitive plane. This perspective has influenced the development of PRIMM (Predict, Run, Investigate, Modify, Make), a structured approach to teaching programming. Objective: The objective of the study was to find out if using PRIMM to teach programming had an impact on learner attainment in secondary school, and the extent to which it was valuable for teachers. Method: We evaluated the use of PRIMM in 13 schools with 493 students aged 11-14 alongside a control group, using a mixed-methods approach. Teachers delivered programming lessons using the PRIMM approach for 8-12 weeks. Data were collected via a combination of a baseline test, a post-test to compare control and experimental groups, and teacher interviews. Findings: Learners performed better in the post test than the control group. Teachers reported several benefits of the PRIMM approach, including that PRIMM helped them to teach effectively in mixed-ability classes, enabling all learners to make progress. Implications: PRIMM makes a contribution to programming education research by building on previous work in effective pedagogy for teachers, and encouraging the use of language and dialogue to facilitate understanding.

中文翻译：

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用 PRIMM 教授计算机编程：社会文化视角

摘要 背景和语境：维果茨基的社会文化理论强调语言、中介以及技能和知识从社会到认知层面的转移的重要性。这种观点影响了 PRIMM（预测、运行、调查、修改、制作）的发展，这是一种结构化的编程教学方法。目标：该研究的目的是找出使用 PRIMM 教授编程是否对中学学习者的成绩有影响，以及它对教师的价值程度。方法：我们使用混合方法评估了 PRIMM 在 13 所学校的使用情况，该学校有 493 名 11-14 岁的学生以及对照组。教师使用 PRIMM 方法教授编程课程 8-12 周。数据是通过基线测试的组合收集的，比较对照组和实验组的后测，以及教师访谈。结果：学习者在后测中的表现优于对照组。教师报告了 PRIMM 方法的几个好处，包括 PRIMM 帮助他们在混合能力课程中有效教学，使所有学习者都能取得进步。意义：PRIMM 通过建立在有效教师教学法的先前工作的基础上，并鼓励使用语言和对话来促进理解，为编程教育研究做出了贡献。