Prior research on pair programming has found that compared to students who work alone, students who pair have shown increased confidence in their work, greater success in CS1, and greater retention in computer-related majors. In these earlier studies, pairing and solo students were not given the same programming assignments. This paper reports on a study in which this factor was controlled by giving the same programming assignments to pairing and solo students. We found that pairing students were more likely to turn in working programs, and these programs correctly implemented more required features. Our findings were mixed when we looked at some standard complexity measures of programs. An unexpected but significant finding was that pairing students were more likely to submit solutions to their programming assignments.
Pair programming has been shown to provide many pedagogical benefits, particularly for students who are learning to program. One drawback with pair programming is its collocation requirement, which makes it difficult for some students to enjoy these benefits. We report on an experiment with a tool that allows students to pair program from separate locations. Our results indicate that students who experience the increased flexibility of distributed pairing perform as well in their introductory programming course as students who have to physically meet in order to pair. These students are also as confident as the collocated students. We also confirm earlier results reported by others that pair programming results in greater student confidence and increased student performance.
Learning to program continues to be challenging for many students. This paper reports on problem-solving approaches undertaken by pair programming students. We examine reasons why some approaches lead to success while others lead to failure. We also identify some aspects of the Java language that appear to lead to student misconceptions. Finally, we provide suggestions for educators interested in helping students learn successful approaches and avoid unsuccessful ones.
Agile software development is gaining popularity in industry. Anecdotal evidence to support this includes the emergence of agile practitioner journals and increasing attendance at agile-focused conferences. Many organizations are using agile methods because previously used techniques were not effective.Pair programming is probably the best known agile practice. Although controversial in both industry and academe, its use in education has been increasing, particularly in CS1. While some instructors fear that students may get a 'free ride' when pairing, empirical evidence shows that this is not the case. CS1 students who pair do as well in CS2 as students who worked by themselves in CS1, even when working alone in CS2 [1]. Pairing in CS1 leads to greater retention in the CS major, and also shows promise at reducing the gender gap in computing -the increase in retention among paired students is greater for women than it is for men [2].
We collected advice on how to succeed at learning to program from 164 CS1 students at 3 institutions during a "saying is believing" intervention designed to encourage a growth mindset. More students gave general advice (63%) than programming-specific (23%) or attitudinal advice (34%), despite being prompted to encourage future students to develop a growth mindset toward programming. Advice categories and quotes offer educators insights into student beliefs and practices and suggest a framework for considering how best to advise students. We discuss the implications of students offering advice to other students and provide a handout of representative advice intended for distribution to students in introductory programming courses.
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