Conceptual Level Comprehension Support of the Object-Oriented Programming Source-Code Using Kit-Build Concept Map

Abstract

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a modern model of programming languages and an important module for many programming courses in academics. Not only do educators have trouble teaching OOP concepts but students are also reported to having trouble comprehending those concepts. The difficulty lies in dealing with abstract concepts and finding a relationship between the textbook explanations and the application of these concepts. Several works try to approach this problem, but they lack connecting the OOP concepts with its implementation in the source-code. In this research, we propose a new visualization form using concept maps to combine the OOP concepts with its’ source-code to promote OOP concept comprehension. The proposed visualization is called the conceptual representation of the source-code (CRS). CRS unites the source-code statements and the OOP concepts into one comprehensible diagram. A concept map recomposition activity with Kit-Build is used to implement the CRS. We have conducted an experiment on university students to verify the learning effects and use of the proposed method. The results show a significant improvement in immediate learning by comparing before/after activity test-scores. In addition, students showed a positive impression and intention about using the tool during their studying of OOP by answering a questionnaire. The research findings shed light on a promising aspect of teaching OOP concepts in programming courses.