Measuring mutual engagement in the context of middle-school pair programming: Development and validation of a self-reported questionnaire

With the increasing importance of equipping young learners with computational thinking skills through learning to code, pair programming has emerged as a prevalent collaborative learning strategy in this context. Successful pair programming interventions necessitate mutual engagement between partners within a dyad. However, the measurement of mutual engagement in dyadic collaborative learning remains an under-researched area. This research represents a foundational stage in bridging this gap by developing a comprehensive 20-item Pair-Programming Mutual Engagement Questionnaire (PPME-Q) as a measure of mutual engagement in pair programming at the activity level. The questionnaire was validated through a sample of 86 eighth-grade students. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the existence of a four-factor structure comprising of the behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and social engagement factors. The findings demonstrate the validity (χ²/df = 1.32) and reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.888) of the PPME-Q, establishing it as an effective tool for assessing eighth graders’ mutual engagement in pair programming activities. As this tool is in the nascent stages of development the measurement, we emphasize the need for further empirical studies to establish criterion validity. We also discuss the implications of these findings for future research and educational practices. This targeted instrument can then potentially be adapted or scaled to other age groups based on the insights gained.