Revisiting Syntax Exercises in CS1

Previous work has suggested that adopting a "syntax-first pedagogy'' in introductory programming (CS1) improved student retention and performance. To confirm these results, we added syntax exercises to an existing CS1 course. A quasi-experimental design was used, with topics with and without a syntax exercise introduction being compared. Data collected includes performance (number of submissions and time spent) on weekly exercises and assignments as well as student evaluations collected weekly and at the end of the term. Our observations suggest that a syntax-first approach improves student performance in the short-term. Students generally performed better on weekly exercises introduced using the syntax exercises, in terms of both the number of submissions required and time spent, than they did on exercises that were not. Furthermore, the reductions in time required to solve the existing weekly exercises partially offset the time required by the new syntax-focused exercises, and students, particularly those with less prior experience, valued the new syntax exercises. Our results suggest that adopting a syntax-first approach may have benefits for students with lower prior experience, and we encourage additional work, both to evaluate a fully-converted syntax-first course and to assess syntax exercises in a more controlled setting.