A Research Study on Java vs. Python Coverage of Introductory Programming Concepts

Dharunikha J P Deepthayanis

Abstract: In this research, we compare two languages, Java and Python, by performing a content analysis of words in textbooks that describe important programming concepts. Our goal is to determine which language has better textbook support for teaching introductory programming courses. We used the Text STAT program to count how often our list of concept words appears in a sample of Java and Python textbooks. We summarize and compare the results, leading to several conclusions that relate to the choice of language for a CS0 or CS1 course.

Keywords: programming concepts, Java, Python, textbooks