FORMATION OF STUDENTS’ TRANSFERABLE PROGRAMMING SKILL

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the problems associated with the development of students’ transferable programming skills when transitioning between programming languages, particularly from statically typed to dynamically typed languages. Particular attention is paid to the influence of prior programming experience on the acquisition of Python, the manifestations of positive and negative transfer, and the difficulties involved in adapting problem-solving approaches to the syntactic, typing, and conceptual characteristics of a new language The aim of the study is to identify the specific features of developing students’ transferable programming skills when transitioning between programming languages and to substantiate approaches to overcoming negative transfer. The transfer of algorithmic and programming knowledge between statically and dynamically typed languages is analyzed, the main difficulties students encounter when adapting to a new language are identified, and manifestations of the mechanical transfer of previously acquired programming approaches, as well as the insufficient use of Python-specific features, are examined. The analysis demonstrates that effective transition between programming languages cannot be reduced to learning new syntax and mechanically reproducing previously known algorithms. It has been established that previously formed programming models can both accelerate the learning process and create obstacles to mastering the specific characteristics of a new language. In particular, students often retain ways of thinking and implementing solutions that are characteristic of statically typed languages, which is manifested in the excessive use of loops, insufficient application of built-in functions and high-level constructs, and failure to use idiomatic Python features. Based on these findings, it is concluded that the development of effective transferable programming skills should involve not the mechanical transfer of programming knowledge, but its adaptation to the conceptual, typing, syntactic, and idiomatic characteristics of the new language. Such an approach contributes to the development of flexible programming thinking and enhances students’ readiness to independently acquire new programming languages and technologies.