Recursion is a programming paradigm as well as a problem solving
strategy thought to be very challenging to grasp for university
students. This article outlines a pilot study, which expands the
age range of students exposed to the concept of recursion in
computer science through instruction in a series of interesting
and engaging activities. In this study, a small number of
students (n = 9) aged 11 to 13 years, were presented with a new
and unique recursion curriculum involving hands-on experiences
over a seven-week period at the University of Victoria, Canada.
The curriculum was comprised of a series of progressively
challenging recursion activities—roughly based upon the ideas of
‘Computer Science Unplugged’ (Bell, Witten, & Fellows, 2009)—and
included programming applications with MicroWorlds EX, a
programming language based on LOGO. Through this engagement, an
increased number of students recognized and understood the
concepts covered. We hypothesize that through experiences for
youth with activities such