We've written this book to support students in studying programming. It is not a text to teach any particular programming language, but to be used alongside such a book, or in conjunction with a taught course. In Studying Programming we concentrate on what other books consider too 'obvious' or too 'basic'. We explain the ideas that others assume you know, we describe the things that can make learning to program a frustrating experience if you don't know them. We stay with you through the process from starting with your very first blank screen to working on complex problems within a team.

Studying Programming has been written by nine members of the Computing Education Research Group at the University of Kent. All of us are practicing computing academics who also have a research interest in CS education. So we have a strong classroom background - teaching students on a daily basis - and a strong research background, knowing what has been investigated (and written on) with regard to students' knowledge, conception and difficulties in introductory programming.