In this paper, results of an empirical comparison of objects-first vs. objects-later are presented and discussed. The study was carefully designed to align the two approaches so that the comparison is focused on the main difference between the two approaches; that is the different sequence in which topics are taught: object oriented topics from the beginning or not.

The study with duration of one year was carried out in a secondary school. In the end, both groups showed the same increase in learning gain, but perceived the difficulty of topics differently.

We discuss study design, results and pedagogical implications.