View in EDS PDF Full Text

A Cognitive-Load-Informed Decomposition of Debugging Subskills with Targeted Exercises

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: A Cognitive-Load-Informed Decomposition of Debugging Subskills with Targeted Exercises
Language: English
Authors: Gabriele Pozzan, Andreas Bollin, Tullio Vardanega
Source: Informatics in Education. 2026 25(2):135-165.
Availability: Vilnius University Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. Akademjos str. 4, Vilnius LT 08663 Lithuania. Tel: +37-5-21-09300; Fax: +37-5-27-29209; e-mail: info@mii.vu.lt; Web site: https://infedu.vu.lt/journal/INFEDU
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 31
Publication Date: 2026
Intended Audience: Teachers
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Cognitive Processes, Troubleshooting, Difficulty Level, Programming, Skill Development, Classification, Problem Solving, Learning Activities, Learning Trajectories
ISSN: 1648-5831
2335-8971
Abstract: Debugging is integral to programming. It comes into play as soon as novices make their first mistakes in creating programming artifacts. It is also consistently reported to be a skill that is difficult to learn as well as to teach effectively. Research in Informatics Education has often focused on the "process" of debugging, by breaking it down in steps connected by temporal and causal dependencies. In this work, we focus instead on debugging "as a skill," from the standpoint of Cognitive Load Theory, and break it down into a tree-shaped model of subskills that enable one another. Debugging may thus be seen as a "meta"-skill that requires the coordination of multiple others. From the standpoint of Cognitive Load Theory, such a skill is cognitively expensive, which may explain the learning-related difficulties tied to debugging. Using the framework of the four-component instructional design, we hypothesize a categorization of each debugging subskill as either recurrent or nonrecurrent, dividing those that are applied consistently to different contexts from those that require problem solving. All subskills may be practised and potentially assessed with targeted exercises, whose design depends on their recurrent/nonrecurrent nature. We provide extensive examples of such exercises. Our decomposition of debugging into subskills is a novel way to address debugging in educational contexts and complements the work done on debugging processes. Although it is currently a theoretically grounded conjecture, the model provides concrete guidance for instructors on analyzing existing materials and planning cognitive-load-informed learning trajectories.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 20260101
Accession Number: EJ1516136
Database: ERIC
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
    Url: https://content.ebscohost.com/cds/retrieve?content=AQICAHj0k_4E0hTGH8RJwT4gCJyBsGNe_WN95AvKlDbXJGqwxwE5zpu1j9ah0VMO1hhItb8bAAAA4zCB4AYJKoZIhvcNAQcGoIHSMIHPAgEAMIHJBgkqhkiG9w0BBwEwHgYJYIZIAWUDBAEuMBEEDM9K-Hy9vBpztWF5RQIBEICBmwgIa-KHxzSAD98qI7V8h--ZBYmaBHQCqcP4-ILoGkVHtstCIW64ZVcUbIgw_cCK_FjEL7ho8-pDpNPXnxHfNWdAjo-7d6L8v3D6KcZ_gBmjMG5VPnOv4PTGrIg8rLUnZVmPK5y4bKZEF-qtvxfSf6ym8-VK3zPq4Sn9ZRRy7E1pZ8YByepISQ0A7xTmgF0TLdxW2vtzO2t3spBO
Text:
  Availability: 0
CustomLinks:
  – Url: https://eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ1516136
    Name: ERIC Full Text
    Category: fullText
    Text: Full Text from ERIC
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: EJ1516136
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: A Cognitive-Load-Informed Decomposition of Debugging Subskills with Targeted Exercises
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Gabriele+Pozzan%22">Gabriele Pozzan</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Andreas+Bollin%22">Andreas Bollin</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tullio+Vardanega%22">Tullio Vardanega</searchLink>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Informatics+in+Education%22"><i>Informatics in Education</i></searchLink>. 2026 25(2):135-165.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: Vilnius University Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Lithuanian Academy of Sciences. Akademjos str. 4, Vilnius LT 08663 Lithuania. Tel: +37-5-21-09300; Fax: +37-5-27-29209; e-mail: info@mii.vu.lt; Web site: https://infedu.vu.lt/journal/INFEDU
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: Y
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 31
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
– Name: Audience
  Label: Intended Audience
  Group: Audnce
  Data: Teachers
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+Processes%22">Cognitive Processes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Troubleshooting%22">Troubleshooting</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Difficulty+Level%22">Difficulty Level</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Programming%22">Programming</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Skill+Development%22">Skill Development</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Classification%22">Classification</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Problem+Solving%22">Problem Solving</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Learning+Activities%22">Learning Activities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Learning+Trajectories%22">Learning Trajectories</searchLink>
– Name: ISSN
  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 1648-5831<br />2335-8971
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Debugging is integral to programming. It comes into play as soon as novices make their first mistakes in creating programming artifacts. It is also consistently reported to be a skill that is difficult to learn as well as to teach effectively. Research in Informatics Education has often focused on the "process" of debugging, by breaking it down in steps connected by temporal and causal dependencies. In this work, we focus instead on debugging "as a skill," from the standpoint of Cognitive Load Theory, and break it down into a tree-shaped model of subskills that enable one another. Debugging may thus be seen as a "meta"-skill that requires the coordination of multiple others. From the standpoint of Cognitive Load Theory, such a skill is cognitively expensive, which may explain the learning-related difficulties tied to debugging. Using the framework of the four-component instructional design, we hypothesize a categorization of each debugging subskill as either recurrent or nonrecurrent, dividing those that are applied consistently to different contexts from those that require problem solving. All subskills may be practised and potentially assessed with targeted exercises, whose design depends on their recurrent/nonrecurrent nature. We provide extensive examples of such exercises. Our decomposition of debugging into subskills is a novel way to address debugging in educational contexts and complements the work done on debugging processes. Although it is currently a theoretically grounded conjecture, the model provides concrete guidance for instructors on analyzing existing materials and planning cognitive-load-informed learning trajectories.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 20260101
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: EJ1516136
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=EJ1516136
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 31
        StartPage: 135
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Cognitive Processes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Troubleshooting
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Difficulty Level
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Programming
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Skill Development
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Classification
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Problem Solving
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Learning Activities
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Learning Trajectories
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: A Cognitive-Load-Informed Decomposition of Debugging Subskills with Targeted Exercises
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Gabriele Pozzan
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Andreas Bollin
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Tullio Vardanega
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 1648-5831
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 2335-8971
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 25
            – Type: issue
              Value: 2
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Informatics in Education
              Type: main
ResultId 1