Learning to Code in Localized Programming Languages

Education research suggests that learning in one's local language can have a positive impact on learning outcomes. We offer a quantitative test of the association between local language use and the rate at which youth learn to program. Using longitudinal data drawn from five countries and over 15,000 users of Scratch, a large informal learning community, we find that novice users who code with their programming language keywords and environment localized into their home countries' primary language demonstrate new programming concepts at a faster rate than users from the same countries whose interface is in English. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for designers of online learning systems.

教育研究表明，用母语学习对学习成果有积极影响。我们对使用母语与青少年学习编程的速度之间的关联进行了定量测试。利用从五个国家收集的纵向数据以及超过15000名Scratch（一个大型非正式学习社区）用户的数据，我们发现，使用编程界面语言关键字和环境已本地化为本国主要语言进行编程的新手用户，比来自同一国家但界面为英语的用户更快地掌握新的编程概念。最后，我们讨论了我们的研究结果对在线学习系统设计者的启示。