ABSTRACT Background and Context: Learners struggle with conceptual understanding of introductory programming concepts such as variables, expressions, and loops. Objective: We examine whether and how designed activities for conceptual exploration support preliminary engagement with and learning of foundational and often hard-to-grasp programming concepts for students in grades 6–8. Method: Drawing on principles from dynamic mathematics, we developed a suite of non-programming digital and unplugged activities embedded in a curriculum before students engage in Scratch block-based programming. We conducted empirical research in three middle school classrooms in diverse urban US schools and examined student performance through mixed qualitative and quantitative methods. Findings: Learning gains were significant and not predicted by grade, gender or prior academic preparation. Free-choice projects of students showed statistically greater (correct) use of key concepts compared to those not in the study. Implications: Our work demonstrates the promise of novel approaches such as interactive non-programming activities for deeper understanding of programming concepts.

中文翻译：

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编码前的概念：非编程互动促进中学编程概念的学习

摘要 背景和上下文：学习者难以理解介绍性编程概念，例如变量、表达式和循环。目标：我们研究了为概念探索设计的活动是否以及如何支持 6-8 年级学生初步接触和学习基本且通常难以掌握的编程概念。方法：借鉴动态数学的原理，在学生参与基于 Scratch 块的编程之前，我们开发了一套嵌入课程中的非编程数字和不插电活动。我们在美国不同城市学校的三个中学教室进行了实证研究，并通过混合的定性和定量方法检查了学生的表现。调查结果：学习成果显着，并非按年级预测，性别或先前的学术准备。与未参与研究的学生相比，学生的自由选择项目在统计上显示出更多（正确）使用关键概念。启示：我们的工作证明了新颖方法的前景，例如交互式非编程活动，可以更深入地理解编程概念。