Exploring and Understanding Pupils’ Lack of Perseverance and Autonomy With Debugging in Computing

The National Curriculum for Computing in England expects that primary-school-aged pupils (5- to 11-year-olds) will be able to correct programming errors in age-appropriate contexts (DfE) 2013). This correction of errors in computing is known as debugging. Utilising a broadly autoethnographic approach, this paper draws upon the writer’s positionality as a computing teacher in primary school and as a teacher educator in a university-based setting. Reflecting upon experiences of teaching computing (specifically debugging) to primary school pupils, the paper goes on to outline and explore potential reasons for pupils’ lack of perseverance and autonomy when engaged with debugging activities. Ideas around learnt helplessness and cognitive load theory are analysed as potential barriers to pupils’ progress when it comes to debugging. The reflective process concludes with suggestions to further develop pupils’ independence with debugging activities, as well as considering the importance of teacher educators’ own practice-based experiences to share with new teachers.