Enhancing Programming Pair Workshops: The Case of Teacher Pre-Prompting

Abstract: This paper explores the pedagogical potential of "teacher pre-prompting" as a means of guiding student collaboration in programming education. In particular, we investigate how brief teacher-initiated questions posed before students engage in pair programming workshops can help shape problem interpretation and division of labor. Based on qualitative analysis of video data from a university course in systems development, we identify five distinct pre-prompting patterns. Our findings suggest that such prompts can foster structured discussions, clarify task requirements, and create opportunities for shared learning experiences.