Using Markov Matrix to Analyze Students' Strategies for Solving Parsons Puzzles

Is there a pattern in how students solve Parsons puzzles? Is there a difference between the puzzle-solving strategies of C++ and Java students? We used Markov transition matrix to answer these ques-tions. We analyzed the solutions of introductory programming stu-dents solving Parsons puzzles involving if-else statements and while loops in C++ and Java from fall 2016 to fall 2020. We present the results of our analysis qualitatively as heat maps and quantitatively using descriptive statistics. We found that most students solved the puzzles in the order in which lines appeared in the correct solution. Counter-intuitively, we found this pattern even in the solutions of the puzzles involving nested if-else statements, multiple while loops and nested while loops. Students who solved the puzzles with the fewest actions acted upon fewer lines out of order, i.e., not in the order in which they appear in the final solution. Whenever we found a sta-tistically significant difference between C++ and Java solutions, C++ solutions involved fewer out-of-order and redundant actions than Java solutions. We discuss the implications of these results for the use of Parsons puzzles as a tool for teaching introductory programming.