Pair programming in education: a literature review

This article provides a review of educational research literature focused on pair programming in the undergraduate computer science curriculum. Research suggests that the benefits of pair programming include increased success rates in introductory courses, increased retention in the major, higher qu...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computer science education 2011-06, Vol.21 (2), p.135-173
Main Authors: Hanks, Brian, Fitzgerald, Sue, McCauley, Renée, Murphy, Laurie, Zander, Carol
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
collaborative learning
College Instruction
Computer science
Computer Science Education
Computer Software
Cooperative Learning
Curricula
Educational Research
Gender Issues
Higher education
Instructional Effectiveness
Introductory Courses
Literature Reviews
pair programming
Peer Relationship
Programming
Research Needs
Science education
Students
Time Management
Undergraduate Students
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This article provides a review of educational research literature focused on pair programming in the undergraduate computer science curriculum. Research suggests that the benefits of pair programming include increased success rates in introductory courses, increased retention in the major, higher quality software, higher student confidence in solutions, and improvement in learning outcomes. Moreover, there is some evidence that women, in particular, benefit from pair programming. The literature also provides evidence that the transition from paired to solo programming is easy for students. The greatest challenges for paired students appear to concern scheduling and partner compatibility. This review also considers practical issues such as assigning partners, teaching students to work in pairs, and assessing individual contributions, and concludes with a discussion of open research questions.
ISSN:0899-3408
1744-5175
DOI:10.1080/08993408.2011.579808