Syntax remains a major barrier for novices. Although block-based systems reduce or eliminate syntax errors, conditionals still challenge learners, likely because their semantics remain implicit. In this paper, we address this problem by introducing a semantics-first, state-visible programming approach inspired by the classic visual language Stagecast Creator. To demonstrate its usefulness, we designed Elephant, a unified, Karel-like research platform that supports three equally expressive programming paradigms: (i) semantics-first programming, (ii) block-based programming with the Blockly library, and (iii) text-based programming in JavaScript with domain-specific libraries. We then deployed Elephant in two within-subjects studies with secondary-school students (N = 39) to compare semantics-first programming to textual and block-based baselines, keeping the program semantics constant across modes and reducing cross-tool confounds. Results indicate, among other things, that semantics-first programming yields significantly higher task performance, suggesting that increasing the visibility of the program state during program composition could support greater outcomes in secondary computing education.
ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems