PEDAGOGICAL INNOVATION IN PROGRAMMING EDUCATION: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY IN SYSTEMS ENGINEERING IN COSTA RICA (#2462)

Authors

Figueroa Guevara, Johan

Arias Soto, Marylin

Abstract

This paper reports a qualitative single case study, enriched by a survey of 120 out of 900 students enrolled in programming courses (console, web, and mobile) between 2020 and 2025 at several Costa Rican universities. The aim was to assess how an active, entrepreneurship-oriented pedagogical approach influenced students' technical, transversal competencies and motivation. A Yin-style case design was adopted, alongside an online questionnaire yielding a ±8.5% margin of error at a 95% confidence level. Data collection comprised teaching journals, document analysis, participant observation, and survey responses (94% experienced active methodologies; 87% rated it more effective than traditional methods). Results indicate an 85% increase in student autonomy, 83% of projects included business modeling, and a 61% likelihood of recommending this approach. We present a replicable model integrating theory, practice, and entrepreneurship for programming instruction.