Here's the argument that shows that the educators are doing something wrong. I'll break it down into numbered points:
1. If you spend three weeks on only the topic of assignment, any idiot (who has been admitted to university) can master that one concept to the level required to answer this stupid simple question correctly.
2. The fact that the students failed to exhibit mastery of even this one simple point at end the of three weeks means the class moved past this very fundamental concept too quickly.
3. It follows that this study doesn't really address the question of how students would do at programming if this fundamental mental model were taught.
Point 1 is the weakest, as it is justified only by common sense, but I'd put money on it.
1. If you spend three weeks on only the topic of assignment, any idiot (who has been admitted to university) can master that one concept to the level required to answer this stupid simple question correctly.
2. The fact that the students failed to exhibit mastery of even this one simple point at end the of three weeks means the class moved past this very fundamental concept too quickly.
3. It follows that this study doesn't really address the question of how students would do at programming if this fundamental mental model were taught.
Point 1 is the weakest, as it is justified only by common sense, but I'd put money on it.