Genèse du concept d'itération : une approche expérimentale

Abstract

Iteration is a fundamental concept in computer sciences which allows the construction of algorithms requiring the repetition of a large number or of a prior unspecified number of identical actions. The object of the present paper is to study the construction process of an iteration by middle-school pupils (age 11-16) who have never been taught programming. The pupils were placed in an experimental situation where they were confronted with the task of writing a programme for an imaginary robot in order to find a solution to a problem specifically based on iteration. The analysis of the observed strategies is carried out with reference to iteration, to the set problem and to the experimental situation.