Coupling pair programming and writing: learning about students' perceptions and processes

  • Authors:

  • Tammy VanDeGrift

  • Affiliations:

  • University of Washington, Seattle, WA

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 35th SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education
  • Year:
  • 2004

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Abstract

Pair Programming has been successful in many introductory computer science courses. Its success has manifested in increased retention rates, better performance on programming tasks, increased confidence, and decreased frustration. This paper highlights experiences using pair programming coupled with individual written reports in a large, introductory computer science course. Through analysis of survey data and written reports, our study shows that students perceive benefits in pair programming, such as those documented earlier (social structure, peer help, less frustration, reduced workload). Regarding the written reports, students cited benefits such as a chance to summarize their project, to reflect on the code, and to use new vocabulary. We discuss what we learn about students' processes, their challenges, and the resources they use for supporting their learning.