Skip to main content
CS Teaching Tips

Main navigation

  • Browse All Tips
  • Tags
  • 3D
  • About
  • Rate Tips
  • Tip Sheets

Misconception: Students believe that when they assign a = b, they are copying b into a rather than making a point to b.

  • This misconception is a result of an incorrect mental model of how variable assignment works.

More about this tip

Tags

  • Content Misconceptions
  • CS 1
  • Intro Programming
External Source

"Exploring programming misconceptions: an analysis of student mistakes in visual program simulation exercises" by Teemu Sirkiä and Juha Sorva.

Other Tips By
Other Tips By Juha Sorva
Juha Sorva

Similar tips

Use Python’s map function to introduce students to loops early on, because the map function is an provides an easy transition to loops.
Misconception: Students think that both the IF and the ELSE cases of a conditional are executed every single time a conditional runs.
Misconception: Students get confused about whether to set or change variables in Scratch.

For more information or to report a bug, contact us at admin@csteachingtips.org. Built with Bootstrap. Powered by Drupal.

Privacy Policy