Programmeringen intentionala objekt : Nio elevers uppfattningar av programmering

Abstract

When it comes to the way we work in the postmodern society of today, essential parts of our tasks are connected to computers in one way or another. The Robots in the industry are one example where traditional human work, concretely and physically, has been replaced by programming and supervising processes in the production. These stages of development make new demands on education and recruiting of labors. The recruiting of qualified labors has turned out to be problematic, and even though extensive efforts has been made in order to increase the interest of technological education, the interest is still weak in Sweden.This study presents the research question: What do pupils focus their attention on when describing programming? The study belongs to a survey conducted on how pupils conceptualise when working with programmable construction material during technology lessons. Working with programmable construction material in schools is one example of computer based learning by means of technological components. The aim is to teach students to visualise technology as a phenomenon in society, as well as introducing them to work with computers.The scientific foundation of the study is grounded in the field of life-world phenomenology with methodology prompting in phenomenography. A fundamental concept in phenomenology, as well as in this study, is intentionality. Another central concept is experience as it is used in phenomenography. The purpose is to describe what pupils, year 8 and 9, focus their attentions on when they are programming – what does the students’ intentional object look like when describing a program?The results of the analyses, one can conclude that four qualitatively separate categories of pupils’ intentional object have appeared. The programming is described with focus on: systematic grouping of the program, to remember another solution of program, the movement of the robot or the solution of the task.