Cognitive processes in program comprehension
Journal of Systems and Software
Visual attention tracking during program debugging
Proceedings of the third Nordic conference on Human-computer interaction
Effects of display blurring on the behavior of novices and experts during program debugging
CHI '05 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems
An eye-tracking methodology for characterizing program comprehension processes
Proceedings of the 2006 symposium on Eye tracking research & applications
Analyzing individual performance of source code review using reviewers' eye movement
Proceedings of the 2006 symposium on Eye tracking research & applications
TAUPE: towards understanding program comprehension
CASCON '06 Proceedings of the 2006 conference of the Center for Advanced Studies on Collaborative research
Assessing the Comprehension of UML Class Diagrams via Eye Tracking
ICPC '07 Proceedings of the 15th IEEE International Conference on Program Comprehension
Temporal eye-tracking data: evolution of debugging strategies with multiple representations
Proceedings of the 2008 symposium on Eye tracking research & applications
Relationships between reading, tracing and writing skills in introductory programming
ICER '08 Proceedings of the Fourth international Workshop on Computing Education Research
Exploiting Eye Movements for Evaluating Reviewer's Performance in Software Review
IEICE Transactions on Fundamentals of Electronics, Communications and Computer Sciences
A closer look at tracing, explaining and code writing skills in the novice programmer
ICER '09 Proceedings of the fifth international workshop on Computing education research workshop
The use of code reading in teaching programming
Proceedings of the 13th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research
Hi-index | 0.00 |
Code reading, although an integral part of program comprehension, is rarely reflected. In this paper, we want to argue for a research approach and direction exploiting the potential that lies in the analysis of reading processes. Based on the vast experience compiled in psychology and some studies in computing, eye tracking and think aloud were elaborated as a viable research instrument for code reading studies. We conducted a feasibility study, designed to examine the actual process of code reading as the sensory starting point of comprehension. Computational and statistical tools were developed to facilitate data capture and analysis for eye tracking experiments. Results do not just provide proof of concept but already emphasize differences between reading natural language text and source code, as well as a distinct attention allocation within different code elements like keywords and operators. In conclusion we suggest a combination of theory-driven selected stimuli material, a carefully designed procedure of eye tracking, complemented with suitable post-tests on comprehension as well as retrospective think aloud in order to obtain additional information on the linking process between perception and comprehension. As an addition to other research approaches this should most certainly help us to improve our knowledge of comprehension within an educational research framework.