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ESEC/FSE 2021
Thu 19 - Sat 28 August 2021 Clowdr Platform

Understanding how to best support and train novice programmers is a critical component of producing better and more diverse software engineers. In this paper, we present the results of a controlled 11-week longitudinal study with 57 CS1 students comparing two skill-based interventions
to improve programming performance.
The first intervention involves spatial training, an
established baseline known to be helpful in engineering
contexts.
The second intervention is a novel CS-focused technical reading training.

In our reading training, we teach strategies for summarizing scientific papers and understanding scientific charts and figures; most of the covered readings were CS1-accessible portions of computer science research papers. For the spatial training, we use a standardized training curriculum previously found to improve programming skills by focusing on spatial ability (i.e., the ability to mentally manipulate objects). We first replicate findings that both reading ability and spatial ability correlate with programming success.
Significantly, however, we find that those in our reading training exhibit larger programming ability gains than those in the standard spatial training ($p = 0.02$, $f^2=0.10$).
We also find that reading trained participants perform particularly well on programming problems that require tracing through code ($p = 0.03$, $f^2=0.10$).
Our results suggest that technical reading training could be beneficial for novice programmers.
Finally, we discuss the implications of our results for future CS1 interventions, the possibility for non-programming based training to positively impact developers, and future directions for software engineering education research.

Thu 26 Aug

Displayed time zone: Athens change

11:00 - 12:00
Analytics & Software Evolution—Program ComprehensionResearch Papers +12h
Chair(s): Santanu Dash University of Surrey, Anthony Cleve University of Namur
11:00
10m
Paper
Lightweight Global and Local Contexts Guided Method Name Recommendation with Prior KnowledgeArtifacts Available
Research Papers
Shangwen Wang National University of Defense Technology, Ming Wen Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Bo Lin National University of Defense Technology, Xiaoguang Mao National University of Defense Technology
DOI Pre-print
11:10
10m
Paper
To Read or to Rotate? Comparing the Effects of Technical Reading Training and Spatial Skills Training on Novice Programming Ability
Research Papers
Madeline Endres University of Michigan, Madison Fansher University of Michigan, Priti Shah University of Michigan, Westley Weimer University of Michigan
DOI Pre-print
11:20
10m
Paper
Connecting the Dots: Rethinking the Relationship between Code and Prose Writing with Functional Connectivity
Research Papers
Zachary Karas University of Michigan, Andrew Jahn University of Michigan, Westley Weimer University of Michigan, Yu Huang University of Michigan
DOI
11:30
30m
Live Q&A
Q&A (Analytics & Software Evolution—Program Comprehension)
Research Papers

23:00 - 00:00
Analytics & Software Evolution—Program ComprehensionResearch Papers
Chair(s): Venera Arnaoudova Washington State University, Bonita Sharif University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
23:00
10m
Paper
Lightweight Global and Local Contexts Guided Method Name Recommendation with Prior KnowledgeArtifacts Available
Research Papers
Shangwen Wang National University of Defense Technology, Ming Wen Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Bo Lin National University of Defense Technology, Xiaoguang Mao National University of Defense Technology
DOI Pre-print
23:10
10m
Paper
To Read or to Rotate? Comparing the Effects of Technical Reading Training and Spatial Skills Training on Novice Programming Ability
Research Papers
Madeline Endres University of Michigan, Madison Fansher University of Michigan, Priti Shah University of Michigan, Westley Weimer University of Michigan
DOI Pre-print
23:20
10m
Paper
Connecting the Dots: Rethinking the Relationship between Code and Prose Writing with Functional Connectivity
Research Papers
Zachary Karas University of Michigan, Andrew Jahn University of Michigan, Westley Weimer University of Michigan, Yu Huang University of Michigan
DOI
23:30
30m
Live Q&A
Q&A (Analytics & Software Evolution—Program Comprehension)
Research Papers