LLM-based collaborative programming: impact on students’ computational thinking and self-efficacy

Abstract At present, collaborative programming is a prevalent approach in programming education, yet its effectiveness often falls short due to the varying levels of coding skills among team members. To address these challenges, Large Language Models (LLMs) can be introduced as a supportive tool to...

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Main Authors: Yi-Miao Yan, Chuang-Qi Chen, Yang-Bang Hu, Xin-Dong Ye
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2025-02-01
Series:Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04471-1
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author Yi-Miao Yan
Chuang-Qi Chen
Yang-Bang Hu
Xin-Dong Ye
author_facet Yi-Miao Yan
Chuang-Qi Chen
Yang-Bang Hu
Xin-Dong Ye
author_sort Yi-Miao Yan
collection DOAJ
description Abstract At present, collaborative programming is a prevalent approach in programming education, yet its effectiveness often falls short due to the varying levels of coding skills among team members. To address these challenges, Large Language Models (LLMs) can be introduced as a supportive tool to enhance both the efficiency and outcomes of collaborative programming. In this shift, the structure of collaborative teams evolves from human-to-human to a new paradigm consisting of human, human, and AI. To investigate the effectiveness of integrating LLMs into collaborative programming, this study designed a quasi-experiment. To explore the effectiveness of integrating LLMs into collaborative programming, we conducted a quasi-experiment involving 82 sixth- and seventh-grade students, who were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. The results showed that incorporating LLMs into collaborative programming significantly reduced students’ cognitive load and improved their computational thinking skills. However, no significant difference in self-efficacy was observed between the two groups, likely due to the cognitive demand students faced when transitioning from graphical programming to text-based coding. Despite this, the study remains optimistic about the potential of LLM-enhanced collaborative programming, as students learning in this way exhibit lower cognitive load than those in conventional environments.
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spelling doaj-art-dfd2df95cd564aba9105224d6ef5452c2025-02-09T12:26:05ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922025-02-0112111210.1057/s41599-025-04471-1LLM-based collaborative programming: impact on students’ computational thinking and self-efficacyYi-Miao Yan0Chuang-Qi Chen1Yang-Bang Hu2Xin-Dong Ye3College of Education, Wenzhou University Institute of Language sciences, Shanghai International Studies UniversityCenter for Teacher Education Research, Beijing Normal University, Key Research Institute of the Ministry of EducationCollege of Education, Wenzhou UniversityAbstract At present, collaborative programming is a prevalent approach in programming education, yet its effectiveness often falls short due to the varying levels of coding skills among team members. To address these challenges, Large Language Models (LLMs) can be introduced as a supportive tool to enhance both the efficiency and outcomes of collaborative programming. In this shift, the structure of collaborative teams evolves from human-to-human to a new paradigm consisting of human, human, and AI. To investigate the effectiveness of integrating LLMs into collaborative programming, this study designed a quasi-experiment. To explore the effectiveness of integrating LLMs into collaborative programming, we conducted a quasi-experiment involving 82 sixth- and seventh-grade students, who were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. The results showed that incorporating LLMs into collaborative programming significantly reduced students’ cognitive load and improved their computational thinking skills. However, no significant difference in self-efficacy was observed between the two groups, likely due to the cognitive demand students faced when transitioning from graphical programming to text-based coding. Despite this, the study remains optimistic about the potential of LLM-enhanced collaborative programming, as students learning in this way exhibit lower cognitive load than those in conventional environments.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04471-1
spellingShingle Yi-Miao Yan
Chuang-Qi Chen
Yang-Bang Hu
Xin-Dong Ye
LLM-based collaborative programming: impact on students’ computational thinking and self-efficacy
Humanities & Social Sciences Communications
title LLM-based collaborative programming: impact on students’ computational thinking and self-efficacy
title_full LLM-based collaborative programming: impact on students’ computational thinking and self-efficacy
title_fullStr LLM-based collaborative programming: impact on students’ computational thinking and self-efficacy
title_full_unstemmed LLM-based collaborative programming: impact on students’ computational thinking and self-efficacy
title_short LLM-based collaborative programming: impact on students’ computational thinking and self-efficacy
title_sort llm based collaborative programming impact on students computational thinking and self efficacy
url https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04471-1
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AT xindongye llmbasedcollaborativeprogrammingimpactonstudentscomputationalthinkingandselfefficacy