Leveraging Prior Computing and Music Experience for Situational Interest Formation

Computer science educators often use multiple creative computing platforms to motivate and support students learning computer science. Arguably, we understand little about the complementary ways in which the various platforms build on students' prior experiences. This study compares two CS+music platforms used by middle school students in a summer camp to understand the unique affordances of each platform at activating and building upon prior music and computing experiences. We assess interest formation through pre and post student surveys and via interviews on the final day of the camp. The findings suggest that using different approaches to CS+music platform design may help engage students with different levels of prior music and coding experience.