The Hands-Up Problem and How to Deal With It: Secondary School Teachers' Experiences of Debugging in the Classroom.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	The Hands-Up Problem and How to Deal With It: Secondary School Teachers' Experiences of Debugging in the Classroom.
Authors:	GALE, Laurie¹ lpg28@cst.cam.ac.uk, SENTANCE, Sue¹ ss2600@cst.cam.ac.uk
Source:	Informatics in Education. Mar2026, Vol. 25 Issue 1, p109-136. 28p.
Subject Terms:	Secondary school teachers, Teaching methods, Computer programming education, Teaching experience, *Teacher training, Debugging
Abstract:	Debugging is a vital but challenging skill for beginner programmers to learn. It is also a difficult skill to teach. For secondary school teachers, who may lack time or programming experience, honing students' understanding of debugging can be a daunting task. Despite this, little research has explored their perspectives of debugging. To this end, we investigated secondary teachers' experiences of debugging in the classroom, with a focus on text-based programming. Through thematic analysis of nine semi-structured interviews, we identified a common reliance on the teacher for debugging support, embodied by many raised hands. We call this phenomenon the 'hands-up problem'. While more experienced and confident teachers discussed strategies they use to counteract this, less confident teachers discussed the negative consequences of this problem. We recommend further research into debugging-specific pedagogical content knowledge and professional development to help less confident teachers develop approaches for supporting their students with debugging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	Debugging is a vital but challenging skill for beginner programmers to learn. It is also a difficult skill to teach. For secondary school teachers, who may lack time or programming experience, honing students' understanding of debugging can be a daunting task. Despite this, little research has explored their perspectives of debugging. To this end, we investigated secondary teachers' experiences of debugging in the classroom, with a focus on text-based programming. Through thematic analysis of nine semi-structured interviews, we identified a common reliance on the teacher for debugging support, embodied by many raised hands. We call this phenomenon the 'hands-up problem'. While more experienced and confident teachers discussed strategies they use to counteract this, less confident teachers discussed the negative consequences of this problem. We recommend further research into debugging-specific pedagogical content knowledge and professional development to help less confident teachers develop approaches for supporting their students with debugging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	16485831
DOI:	10.15388/infedu.2504.011