Bridging strategy gaps in programming: the role of visual scaffolding for learners with low cognitive ability

As programming education gains global importance, learners often struggle due to the cognitive demands, particularly in textual environments. Visual programming tools have been developed to ease this burden, but learners’ cognitive abilities—specifically executive function (EF)—may still affect their programming process and strategies. This study investigates how visual scaffolding influences the programming strategies of learners with different EF levels. Thirty-two adult participants were randomly divided into experimental and control groups, using programming systems with and without visual scaffolding respectively. Their EF was assessed using the Simon and running span tasks. Also, an eye-tracker was used to explore their cognitive processes during programming tasks and to identify their programming strategies. Results show that high-EF learners tended to adopt top-down strategies regardless of scaffolding. In contrast, low-EF learners without scaffolding used mixed strategies, while those with visual scaffolding were guided toward adopting a top-down approach. These findings highlight the role of visual scaffolding in supporting low-EF learners by fostering more effective programming strategies and mitigating cognitive differences between high- and low-EF learners.