So Different Though So Similar? – Or Vice Versa? Exploration of the Logic Programming and the Object-Oriented Programming Paradigms

Computer science (CS) curricula are composed of various study modules, each of which focuses on particular contents, concepts, principles, and associated problem-solving methods. Developers of CS curricula recommend that students become acquainted with different programming paradigms in order to acquire alternative ways of computational thinking and various approaches for problem solving. In this paper, we illuminate two different though related paradigms: object-oriented programming and logic programming. We present and discuss the findings of a comparative study aimed at revealing similarities and dissimilarities between object oriented programming and logic programming in the context of problem-solving approaches and conclude with guidelines for instructional design of a study track that combines both paradigms. Keywords: Computer science education, Computer science curriculum, paradigms, problem solving, object-oriented programming, logic programming, Java, Prolog.