To investigate what children learn during computer programming instruction, students attending a summer computer camp were asked to recall either single lines or chunks of computer programs from either coherent or scrambled programs. The 16 subjects, ages 12 to 17, were divided into three instructional groups: (1) beginners, who were taught to program in Applesoft BASIC; (2) intermediate, who were taught advanced concepts such as text files in Applesoft BASIC; and (3) advanced, who already had a background in BASIC and were taught PASCAL. The instruction involved programming syntax, debugging, planning, and use of a top-down programming structure. BASIC programs of 16 to 18 lines in length were arranged in a top-down structure or scrambled to separate lines which formed coherent procedural chunks. Students had two minutes to study the program and four minutes to write it down. Numbers of correct lines and chunks recalled were analyzed for each ability group and program version. All groups indicated greater recall of the coherent programs, especially the intermediate group. Increasing ability was associated with recall of the scrambled programs. Advanced programmers also commented that the scrambled programs did not make sense. (GDC)