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

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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]
Copyright of Informatics in Education is the property of Informatics in Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Informatics+in+Education%22">Informatics in Education</searchLink>. Mar2026, Vol. 25 Issue 1, p109-136. 28p.
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  Data: 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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  Data: <i>Copyright of Informatics in Education is the property of Informatics in Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Secondary school teachers
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      – SubjectFull: Computer programming education
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              Text: Mar2026
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