Research synthesis · Computing education
Computing education: computational thinking, functional programming and technology acceptance
Vajjhala and colleagues study how computing is taught and accepted — functional programming with Haskell, computational thinking across disciplines, blockchain within cybersecurity curricula, and student acceptance of mandatory learning technology.
A short narrative review of research by Narasimha Rao Vajjhala and co-authors in this area. Every claim carries an APA citation that links to the publication’s own page (abstract, key findings, DOI); the full references are listed at the end. Updated .
Synthesis
Narasimha Rao Vajjhala’s computing education research asks how programming, computational thinking and security should be taught, and how students accept the technologies used to teach them.
On programming, Fonkam and Vajjhala (2026) systematically reviewed 28 empirical studies published between 2015 and 2025 on functional programming taught with Haskell. They found mixed but promising outcomes: integrated approaches that combine functional programming with broader programming principles outperformed purely functional courses, benefits for mathematical reasoning and abstract thinking were consistent, and transfer to mainstream object-oriented languages was selective. Beyond programming, Fonkam and Vajjhala edited a volume that reframes computational thinking, logic and problem solving as discipline-independent skills and offers lesson plans, case studies and tools for embedding them in subjects ranging from educational robotics to digital marketing and literature (Fonkam & Vajjhala, 2024).
On security education, Strang et al. (2020a) found only five peer-reviewed papers on teaching blockchain in higher education, contrasted its treatment as a managerial decision topic for business students with application design and programming for computing students, and proposed a two-dimensional teaching typology spanning stakeholder role and teaching ideology.
On acceptance, Strang and Vajjhala (2017) studied 65 senior supply chain students required to use a new learning management system. Perceived usefulness, enjoyment, voluntariness and results demonstrability explained 52.3% of behavioral intention, and behavioral intention predicted students’ actual course grades — evidence that Technology Acceptance Model 3 predicts performance, not only self-reported intention. Related consumer studies found that satisfaction and happiness predicted young Indian consumers’ online purchase intention (Vajjhala & Strang, 2018a), and that trust — not gender, age or income — predicted young US and Indian consumers’ online smartphone purchase decisions (Vajjhala & Strang, 2019).
Together these studies support teaching programming paradigms in an integrated way, treating computational thinking as a cross-disciplinary literacy, teaching security to both technical and managerial audiences, and attending to how students experience the platforms they are required to use.
Key claims with sources
- Functional programming taught with Haskell brings consistent benefits for mathematical reasoning and abstract thinking, with selective transfer to object-oriented languages (Fonkam & Vajjhala, 2026).
- Among students required to use a new learning management system, behavioral intention predicted actual course grade (Strang & Vajjhala, 2017).
- Blockchain can be taught along two dimensions — stakeholder role and teaching ideology (Strang et al., 2020a).
The publications and what each contributes
| Publication | Method | Core finding or contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Fonkam and Vajjhala (2026) Computational Science and Computational Intelligence (CSCE 2025) | Systematic literature review of 28 empirical studies (2015–2025) on functional programming and Haskell in education, drawn from ACM DL, IEEE Xplore, Google Scholar and computing-education venues, with thematic synthesis. | A systematic review of 28 empirical studies (2015–2025) found mixed but promising outcomes: integrated approaches outperform purely functional ones, benefits for mathematical reasoning and abstract thinking are consistent, and transfer to mainstream object-oriented languages is selective. |
| Fonkam and Vajjhala (2024) IGI Global (edited book) | Edited volume of 11 chapters; chapters include conceptual frameworks, curriculum and lesson-plan proposals, case studies, a survey-based consumer study, and a review of computational thinking tools. | The volume reframes computational thinking as a discipline-independent skill set and provides lesson plans, case studies, tools and strategies for embedding it in fields well beyond computing, from educational robotics to digital marketing and literature. |
| Strang et al. (2020a) Innovations in Cybersecurity Education | Conceptual chapter combining a literature search (ProQuest Central and EBSCO) with the authors’ teaching experience and cybersecurity curriculum frameworks (ACM CSEC, ABET, CAE) to develop a two-dimensional teaching typology. | A literature search found only five relevant peer-reviewed papers, which — with the authors’ teaching experience — led to a two-dimensional teaching typology (stakeholder role from programmer to managerial decision-maker; teaching ideology from theoretical to hands-on). |
| Vajjhala and Strang (2019) Proceedings of the 2019 International Conference on Information System and System Management (ISSM 2019), Rabat, Morocco | Post-positivist cross-cultural structured-questionnaire study of 89 young technology-literate consumers in New York State and Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, analysed with chi-square, Spearman correlation, cluster analysis, logistic regression and discriminant analysis in SPSS 22. | Among 89 young technology-literate consumers in the USA and India, gender, age and income did not influence online smartphone purchase decisions. |
| Vajjhala and Strang (2018a) Twenty-fourth Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS 2018), New Orleans | Within-group correlational survey of 63 online shoppers in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana testing eight hypotheses with chi-square tests, Spearman correlation, binary logistic regression and discriminant analysis in Minitab 18. | Among 63 Indian online shoppers, happiness, satisfaction, positive and pleasant feelings — but not excitement — predicted purchase intention. |
| Strang and Vajjhala (2017) Journal of Organizational and End User Computing | Post-positivist within-group survey of 65 senior supply chain management students at SUNY using the TAM3 instrument, with hierarchical, surface response and multiple regression on behavioural intention and actual course grade. | Among 65 senior supply chain students using a new mandatory LMS, perceived usefulness, enjoyment, voluntariness and results demonstrability predicted behavioral intention, and behavioral intention predicted actual course grade — confirming a key TAM3 tenet with a performance outcome rather than self-report alone. |
Key terms in this area
- Functional programming
- A programming paradigm that builds programs from pure functions, emphasizing immutability, composability and declarative semantics rather than step-by-step state changes. — as used in Fonkam and Vajjhala (2026)
- Haskell
- A purely functional, statically typed programming language with type inference, algebraic data types, type classes and monads. — as used in Fonkam and Vajjhala (2026)
- Monad
- An abstraction from category theory used in functional languages to structure and isolate state and side effects in otherwise pure code. — as used in Fonkam and Vajjhala (2026)
- Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM3)
- An extension of the Technology Acceptance Model that explains behavioral intention to use a technology through factors such as perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, enjoyment, subjective norm and computer self-efficacy. — as used in Strang and Vajjhala (2017)
- Behavioral intention (BI)
- A person’s self-reported intention to use a technology, usually treated as the antecedent of actual use. — as used in Strang and Vajjhala (2017)
- Learning management system (LMS)
- Software such as Moodle used to deliver and manage online course content and assessments. — as used in Strang and Vajjhala (2017)
- Blockchain
- A distributed and decentralized database of all transactions executed among participating nodes, in which cryptographically linked blocks form an immutable, auditable ledger (Shrestha et al.). — as used in Strang et al. (2020a)
- Cybersecurity awareness
- The degree of users’ understanding of the importance of information security to protect organizational data and networks (Rahim et al.). — as used in Strang et al. (2020a)
- Andragogy
- An approach to teaching focused on helping adults learn to learn, contrasted in the chapter with pedagogy (lecturing and delivering materials). — as used in Strang et al. (2020a)
References
- Fonkam, M. M., & Vajjhala, N. R. (Eds.). (2024). Revolutionizing Curricula Through Computational Thinking, Logic, and Problem Solving. IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-1974-1 Summary & key findings →
- Fonkam, M., & Vajjhala, N. R. (2026). A Spotlight on the Role of Functional Programming & Haskell in Computing & Software Development. In H. R. Arabnia (Ed.), Computational Science and Computational Intelligence (CSCE 2025) (pp. 56–63). Springer Nature Switzerland AG. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-22202-2_5 Summary & key findings →
- Strang, K. D., & Vajjhala, N. R. (2017). Student Resistance to a Mandatory Learning Management System in Online Supply Chain Courses. Journal of Organizational and End User Computing, 29(3), 49–67. https://doi.org/10.4018/JOEUC.2017070103 Summary & key findings →
- Strang, K. D., Che, F., & Vajjhala, N. R. (2020a). Ideologies and Issues for Teaching Blockchain Cybersecurity in Management and Computer Science. In K. Daimi & G. Francia III (Eds.), Innovations in Cybersecurity Education (pp. 109–126). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50244-7_7 Summary & key findings →
- Vajjhala, N. R., & Strang, K. D. (2018a). Examining Internet Behavior of Young Technology-Literate Consumers in India. In Twenty-fourth Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS 2018), New Orleans. Association for Information Systems. https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2018/ Summary & key findings →
- Vajjhala, N. R., & Strang, K. D. (2019). Impact of Psycho-Demographic Factors on Smartphone Purchase Decisions. In Proceedings of the 2019 International Conference on Information System and System Management (ISSM 2019), Rabat, Morocco (pp. 5–10). ACM. https://doi.org/10.1145/3394788.3394790 Summary & key findings →
How to cite this synthesis
Please cite the original publications above for specific findings. To cite this overview itself:
Vajjhala, N. R. (2026, October 4). Computing education: computational thinking, functional programming and technology acceptance. Narasimha Rao Vajjhala. https://www.narasimharao.net/research/focus-areas/computing-education-technology-acceptance/