International Journal of
Information and Education Technology

Abstract

Computer programming is not an easy subject to learn or teach, particularly to first-year students in higher learning institutions. Numerous past studies have shown that students faced difficulties in comprehending and applying the programming concept when writing programs to solve problems. A slight negative experience at the initial stage of the studies is enough to disappoint the students. This then resulted in lowering the motivation of students to learn programming which impacted the students’ performance in the programming course. Thus, an approach must be developed so that the motivation to learn and practice programming remains high. This article proposes the use of Turtle Graphics at the initial stage of Java Programming course in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Via this approach, by writing suitable programs, the students are able to produce animations and graphics output. Students’ motivation levels are then measured via the ARCS model, which measure the students’ motivation based on four aspects, namely attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. The results of this study found that the students demonstrate high motivation in all four motivational aspects.