Background and Context: In spite of the decades spent developing software visualization (SV), doubts still remain regarding their effectiveness. Furthermore, student engagement plays an important role in improving SV effectiveness as it is correlated with many positive academic outcomes. It has been shown that the existing SV has failed to engage students effectively. Objective: Therefore, there is a need to understand the theories behind SV design from the engagement perspective to produce a roadmap for future tool construction. The aim of this study was to identify the theories have been used in literature to explain or construct student engagement with SV in computer science courses for novices. Method: We performed a systematic literature review that identified a total of 58 articles published between 2011 and 2017, which were then selected for the study. However, among them, only 18 articles had discussed their theoretical framework. Findings: The results of this study show a richness in the theoretical framework obtained from different disciplines, however, constructivism is still dominant in the computing education research (CER) domain. It is evidently clear from the findings that the theories generated from the CER domain are needed to enhance the effectiveness of SV. Implications: As a result of this review, we suggest several design principles and engagement attributes to be considered while creating an engaging SV.
Having a solid theoretical foundation is essential for designing an effective software visualization (SV) tool. Despite the decades of developing different SV tools, there are still doubts about their effectiveness. Furthermore, learner engagement plays an important role in building a successful SV tool. In programming education, the problem of the high failure rates among students is still unresolved. Therefore, there is a need to understand the theories behind the exciting SV tools from the engagement perspective in order to have a road map for future tool construction. Yet the factors influencing learner engagement in SV tools are still unclear. This study set out to determine how to develop an SV design model to enhance student engagement in an introductory programming course. A systematic literature review (SLR) was used to obtain an overview of the current theoretical foundation used. The search identified a total of 432 papers between 2011 and 2017. This study examined 58 papers selected based on a well-defined selection process. In this paper, the contribution in constructing the protocol for SLR is presented as well as the preliminary results of the study. The researchers were in the process of data extraction phase to address the research questions. The expected outcomes of this review became the identification of a theoretical background used to construct and explain engagement in software visualization. The expected output of this study was a list of the factors that have a positive impact on learner engagement in SV tools.
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