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

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  • 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.

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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

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Misconception: If you consistently use the same variable names during class in lectures and examples, students may incorrectly assume objects in Java can only have those names.
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