College students’ interest in programming the effect of project work, tutorials, accessibility of resources on the internet and students’ perception

Abstract

Robots, artificial intelligence, bitcoins, block chain, IoT (Internet of Things), and Cloud Computing are innovation of technologies that solve problems in the world and are backed by programming. Learning of programing has become relevant in Ghanaian schools where students are expected to develop interest and equip themselves with knowledge and skills in programming. The study sought to determine the effects of project work, tutorials, and accessibility of resources on the internet on the perception of students towards their interest in computer programming. The study used a descriptive survey design. The population for the study was 8,420 with 368 as a sample size. A stratified random sampling technique was used for sampling participants for the study and a purposive sampling technique was used to select three public universities in Ghana. The researcher used a questionnaire to gather the data for studying the issue under investigation. Analysis of the data was done through the use of the SPSS and PROCESS Macro. Data collected from the respondents were analysed using both inferential statistics and descriptive statistics. The study found that students' perception of programming at the university was higher which enhanced their interest in programming. The study revealed that there was a direct significant effect of project work on students' perception of programming. The study revealed that there was a direct significant impact of accessibility of resources from the internet on students' perception of programming. The study revealed that there was a direct significant effect of tutorials on students' perception of programming. The study concluded that there was a direct significant mediating effect of students' perception of programming on the relationship between the accessibility of resources from the internet and college students' interest in programming.