Novice Use of the Java Programming Language

Abstract

Objectives Java is a popular programming language for use in computing education, but it is difficult to get a wide picture of the issues that it presents for novices, and most studies look only at the types or frequency of errors. In this observational study we aim to learn how novices use different features of the Java language. Participants Users of the BlueJ development environment have been invited to opt-in to anonymously record their activity data for the past eight years. This dataset is called Blackbox, which was used as the basis for this study. BlueJ users are mostly novice programmers, predominantly male, with a median age of 16. Our data subset featured approximately 225,000 participants from around the world. Study Methods We performed a secondary data analysis that used data from the Blackbox dataset. We examined over 320,000 Java projects collected over the course of eight years, and used source code analysis to investigate the prevalence of various specifically-selected Java programming usage patterns. As this was an observational study without specific hypotheses, we did not use significance tests; instead we present the results themselves with commentary, having applied seasonal trend decomposition to the data. Findings We found many long-term trends in the data over the course of the eight years, most of which were monotonic. There was a notable reduction in the use of the main method (common in Java but unnecessary in BlueJ), and a general reduction in the complexity of the projects. We find that there are only a small number of frequently used types: int, String, double and boolean, but also a wide range of other infrequently used types. Conclusions We find that programming usage patterns gradually change over a long period of time (a period where the Java language was not seeing major changes), once seasonal patterns are accounted for. Any changes are likely driven by instructors and the changing demographics of programming novices. The novices use a relatively restricted subset of Java, which implies that designers of languages specifically targeted at novices can satisfy their needs with a smaller set of language constructs and features. We provide detailed recommendations for the designers of educational programming languages and supporting development tools.

Quick Fixes for Novice Programmers: Effective but Under-Utilised

“…BlueJ is an IDE for Java and Stride primarily used by novices, with a median age of 16. Of their users, 70% are in secondary education and 64% are using it for their first programming experience [4]. The Blackbox dataset has been collecting data from opted-in BlueJ users since 2013 [3].…”

“…This was during the COVID-19 pandemic when classes were likely to be virtual, and is two years prior. Previous research [4] has shown that seasonality is a major factor so choosing the same time of year is important, but long-term trends are relatively slow (and no obvious effect of the pandemic on usage was found [4], so choosing 2020 should not be a problem). Another alternative is to pick users in the same time period in 2022 from the 18% of users who have not upgraded their BlueJ version to BlueJ 5.…”

Does ChatGPT Help Novice Programmers Write Better Code? Results from Static Code Analysis

“…Several studies have investigated the nature of common coding mistakes and quality issues among novice programmers. Several studies [15][16][17][18] provide insights into the frequent types of errors and code quality problems students encounter, including neglect of coding conventions and difficulties with program flow and modularization. These studies collectively underscore the importance of targeted instruction and feedback in helping students overcome these challenges and highlight the potential role of automated tools in educating students about code quality issues.…”