Proficiency in Basic Data Structures among Various Subpopulations of Students at Different Stages in a CS Program

Previous studies show that CS students may not learn as much from their courses as we might expect. This could have ramifications on how students succeed in their future careers and may explain why researchers report a gap between industry expectations and the abilities of recent CS graduates. However, previous studies have also shown that students improve their prerequisite knowledge in subsequent courses. This study investigates the introductory data structures proficiency of students in different courses at various stages in our CS program, employing the validated Basic Data Structures Inventory (BDSI). Additionally, we investigate whether subpopulations, including transfer students and underrepresented groups, may be more prone to not attaining as much knowledge from our courses as we might expect.