Skip to main content
CS Teaching Tips

Main navigation

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

Misconception: Students think that “return x*x” changes the value of x to be x*x.

  • Students think that the mathematical function that executes on the return line results in a change to the variable's value that will be saved for later use.

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

Misconception: students struggle with the onMousePress method (and other mouse interaction methods) in the Java objectdraw Library from Williams College; they need help understanding it’s called even when don’t explicitly call it.
Don’t let gender stereotypes affect your classroom.
Balance students’ interest in immediate gratification (writing code) with preparation for the AP CS exam by having students work on and off the computer during every meeting.

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

Privacy Policy