Examining Self-Efficacy and Growth Mindset in an Introductory Computing Course

This work-in-progress research paper examines student perceptions of self-efficacy and growth mindset associated with computer programming in a first-year engineering computing course. While prior research has begun to explore the general relationship between student self-efficacy and mindset, it has demonstrated that context matters greatly for these constructs. This study builds on that research by examining both constructs within the context of an introductory programming course for engineers and addressing the following research questions: 1) How do student perceptions of programming self-efficacy relate to programming mindset? 2) What types of previous experiences in programming are associated with a growth mindset? The mixed methods study presented in this paper examines self-reported perceptions from students enrolled in a first year introduction to engineering computing course that utilized MATLAB as the programming language. Findings indicate that within this setting, students were generally confident in their ability to program in MATLAB and had a slight growth mindset towards programming. However, there was no significant correlation between the two constructs. Additionally, students who were retaking the course had a higher growth mindset towards programming as a talent. No other mastery experiences or vicarious experiences were associated with overall growth mindset.