AUTHORS: Rami Rashkovits, Lavy Ilana
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ABSTRACT: Recursive Functions are one of the difficult concepts learned by computer science (cs) students, and applying a correct recursive solution to a problem is even more difficult. The difficulty lies in the recursion concept, in which the solution to a given problem is based on the solution of the same problem with smaller size. Humans do not usually think in such a way, and they prefer to solve problem iteratively whenever possible. However, many problems are better solved recursively in terms of simplicity and complexity, hence developing recursive thinking is crucial for programmers. During their studies, students learn this issue using metaphors such as the 'little man' or the 'top-down frames', but these metaphors are not very useful when applying a recursive solution. In this paper we provide the students with an interactive tool in which recursive solutions are visualized using frames, trees and graphs, and test the quality of their solutions using these tool, compared with a control group in which the visualizer is not available. We planned an experiment with few problems requiring recursive solutions, and observed the experiment group and the control group. The results show that the tool indeed improves significantly the quality of the solutions of the students who used it.
KEYWORDS: Problem Solving, Recursion, educational technology
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