International Journal of
Information and Education Technology

Abstract

This paper deals with creating a learner-centered environment in the context of teaching information systems design (ISD) in high school. The participants were 40 students who prepared individual graduating projects, for example, an information system for a small business or a medical clinic. Data were collected through observations in the class, interviews with students, analysis of their products, and portfolios. The study revealed that providing the students with the opportunity to choose projects that were meaningful to them personally or that related to their family business fostered their motivation in completing the task. The students greatly improved their programming skills related to ISD; however, many of them only partially completed all of the design phases, for example, inquiring into customers’ needs and planning. The current situation in schools shows that students learn and practice using procedural knowledge, whereas achieving conceptual knowledge is a long-term process.