Proceedings of the 2007 International Conference on Frontiers in Education: Computer Science and Computer Engineering, (FECS '07). June 26, 2007, published by CSREA Press.

Abstract:
We present our analysis of the effects of student perceptions and self-efficacy regarding mathematics and computer science in an introductory programming course. Students' perceptions and self-efficacy were measured at the beginning and at the end of the semester in order to determine changes over time. This data has been analyzed along with grades, gender, ethnicity, major, and previous programming experience in order to determine what factors effect performance in the course. Furthermore, students were asked to define ``computer science'' in both surveys, and we present a method for gathering and measuring this data in the context of the class. The surveys were designed to test our hypothesis that students who did well would improve in confidence and those who did poorly would lose confidence. Contrary to our hypothesis, students' self-efficacy remained unchanged during the semester regardless of their performance in the class. We present a complete analysis of our data and a discussion of the results, including some unexpected findings.