Neurodiverse Programmers and the Accessibility of Parsons Problems: An Exploratory Multiple-Case Study
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Parsons problems are drag-and-drop computer programming puzzles that require learners to place code blocks in the correct order and sometimes indentation. Introductory computer programming instructors use them to teach novice programmers how to code while optimizing problem-solving efficiency and cognitive load. While there is research on the design of Parsons problems for programmers without disabilities and programmers with visual or motor impairments, research regarding their accessibility for programmers with cognitive disabilities is scant. To identify the accessibility barriers and benefits of Parsons problems for neurodiverse programmers, an exploratory multiple-case study was conducted. Participants were asked to read eight chapters of an interactive eBook on Python and to solve Parsons problems. Within-case analyses of 15 retrospective think-aloud interviews with five novice programmers with disabilities led to four recommendations for improving the cognitive accessibility of Parsons problems. For example, programmers with seizure disorders may experience seizures when solving programming problems that require numeric calculations. Hence, creating a range of Parsons problems that do not require mental arithmetic could improve the learning experience for programmers with seizure disorders and those who struggle with mental calculations by lowering their cognitive load. Given this study's qualitative and exploratory approach, it does not offer conclusive, broadly generalizable results. Yet, it reveals detailed and promising avenues for exploration in computing education research that might elude many quantitative techniques.
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These three papers stood out due to the depth of their engagement with the disabled communities they targeted and for how they situated accessibility as an issue of power, identity, and justice, rather than solely one of technical compliance or awareness.
“These papers stood out due to the depth of their engagement with the disabled communities they targeted [22, 29] and for how they situated accessibility as an issue of power, identity, and justice [22, 37], rather than solely one of technical compliance or awareness.”
From Where are the Disabled Students?: A Literature Review of Disability Inclusion in Computing Education Research (2026) · cites this paper as [22]
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOnly three papers in the dataset engaged with disability scholarship as a theoretical framing, specifically critical Disability Studies framings such as a social model of disability approach or a disability justice approach.
“Three papers explicitly engaged with critical Disability Studies framings, specifically taking a social model of disability approach [22, 29] or disability justice approach [37].”
From Where are the Disabled Students?: A Literature Review of Disability Inclusion in Computing Education Research (2026) · cites this paper as [22]
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- Authors
- Haynes-Magyar, C.
- Affiliations
- Carnegie Mellon University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Haynes-Magyar, Carl
- ORCID
- Haynes-Magyar, Carl
- Venue
- Proceedings of the 55th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education V. 1
- Publisher
- ACM
- Published
- 2024-03-07
- Pages
- 491-497
- OpenAlex
- W4392542369
- Cited by
- 9
- References
- 47
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2
- FWCI
- 3.95
- Type
- conference paper
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- University of Michigan (Rackham Graduate Student Research Grant)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Science Applications › Teaching and Learning Programming
- Social Sciences › Human Factors and Ergonomics › Digital Accessibility for Disabilities
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Inclusion and Disability in Education and Sport
- Keywords
- Parsons problems, neurodiversity, cognitive disability, accessibility, novice programmers, cognitive load, epilepsy, mental arithmetic, Python, think-aloud interviews
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