Data Structures

Explicitly discuss the lack of bounds-checking in C-based courses to avoid student confusion when using strings and arrays.

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Use everyday examples (e.g. egg cartons, seats in a theater) to help students understand 2D arrays.

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Justify the reason that Java Strings are immutable by showing how Strings might be packed together in the heap to help students resolve incomplete understandings in their mental model.

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Tell students that the data structure linked lists were used for the human genome sequencing project to motivate the value of this structure and increase interest.

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Have students brainstorm about the data structure Pandora uses for playlists to help motivate arraylists or linked lists through comparison to everyday life.

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Misconception: Students incorrectly assume that Java’s substring method is destructive and wrongly anticipate the original string will change.

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Misconception: When passing arrays in C/C++ students often forget to pass in the size of the array and to use [] (square brackets) to make the variable an array.

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Provide specific ways to get additional practice on material (e.g., Linked lists) because teachers often underestimate the amount of practice students need to solidify course concepts.

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Explain that arrays work like a dresser of clothing to help students understand this abstract data structure by relating it to structures they know.

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Misconception: Students have difficulty using the correct data types in Java because their go-to data type is int most of the time.

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