Using Analytic Hierarchy Process to Select the Most Appropriate Tool for Learning Programming

Introductory programming courses around the globe are sharing the common issue of high dropout rates that are mainly caused by the lack of prior knowledge and experience in developing algorithms for the purpose of solving problems as well as the perception of programming concepts as something that is too abstract and therefore very difficult. Literature offers a number of tools that are encouraging students to adopt good programming habits but testing them in order to select the most appropriate one is resource-consuming procedure for both teachers and students. With an aim to address the aforementioned issue, a taxonomy of tools designed for learning programming is proposed in this paper. As a follow up, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has been employed in order to facilitate multicriteria decision-making related to choosing the tool that is most suitable for acquiring programming skills.