Exploring the Acceptance and Effectiveness of Parsons Problems on Scaffolding CS1 Retakers

Given the importance of the introductory programming course (CS1), the Computer Science Education community has devoted a significant effort to generate empirical evidence and propose tools, techniques, and curricular approaches to support students. For instance, Parsons Problems have emerged as one of the preferred scaffolding strategies to help CS1 students get a grasp on programming before being exposed to open write-code assignments. However, prior literature has not given enough attention to those students who fail CS1 and must retake the course. In this paper, we report the results of an exploratory case study aimed at understanding the effectiveness of Parsons Problems as an active scaffolding strategy delivered to CS1 retakers at the University of Chile. In this version of the course, although students were already introduced to computational thinking, program design, and coding (as they were taking CS1 for a second time), it was the first time they were exposed to Parsons Problems. We conducted a follow-up assessment of the students' perceptions throughout the course, employing a combination of focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and end-course surveys. Our results suggest that Parsons Problems are effective for learners beyond the "novice programmer" stage (such as the experience of CS1 retakers), highlighting good practices to support the studied group in terms of engagement, performance, and overall student experience.