Coding skills translate to classroom success, PJ and Caleb show

Coláiste Mhuire third year students PJ Browne from Delvin and Caleb Nagle from Loughnavalley have combined two different programming worlds to investigate how early exposure to coding influences academic success in the Junior Cycle.

Their project, titled ‘Scratching the Surface’, uses a custom-built tool to analyse the complexity of student work and compare it to their performances in traditional school subjects.

The inspiration for the study struck during a moment of classroom downtime. “We were bored one coding class, and we really liked this coding language, so we decided to do a bit of research on it,” PJ explained. The team specifically focused on Scratch, a block-based visual programming language often used to introduce students to logical thinking.

To move beyond simple observation, PJ developed a Python script designed to “crawl” through Scratch projects and assign them a numerical score based on their technical complexity. The team then mapped these scores against the students’ exam results. “We tried to link how good people do in Scratch projects to how they do in maths and business,” PJ said. “We did that by running a Python script on how complex a project was and comparing that to how well the student does.”

The findings suggested that a talent for coding often translates to the exam hall. Caleb Nagle noted that their analysis showed a clear relationship between a student’s coding ability and mathematical performance. “I would say that there was a correlation between the two,” he said.

The study also found that the platform enjoys a high level of popularity across the school community, Caleb adding that “not just students but the teachers as well love using it”.

However, the research also identified an “expiration date” for the visual language. The data indicated that student interest in the platform begins to wane as they enter their mid-teens. “We found out that Scratch sort of falls off in enjoyment around 14 or 15,” Caleb observed. He suggested that the decline marks a vital transition point in a student’s education. “That’s when students should be moving to other coding languages, like Python.”

By proving the link between logical programming and core subjects like maths and business, PJ and Caleb hope to show that coding is not just an extracurricular hobby, but a foundational skill that supports the entire Junior Cycle curriculum.