Abstract

Pair programming is a form of collaborative learning in computer science that involves two students working together on a coding project. Previous research has identified mostly positive outcomes from this practice, such as course grades and the quality of the resulting code. Pair programming may also facilitate interactions that improve the climate for women and Students of Color, thereby reducing equity gaps in achievement and persistence. However, the existing research findings are inconsistent, which may reflect limitations in research design and/or challenges with implementing pair programming in an ideal manner. The present study sought to provide rigorous evidence through a cluster-randomized trial with 1,530 undergraduates in 96 lab sections across three different introductory computer science courses. Within the full sample, pair programming was unrelated to virtually all outcomes. However, pair programming actually led to poorer outcomes among White students, including grades within the introductory course, attempting or completing subsequent computer science courses, and majoring or minoring in computer science. These negative effects were generally driven by White students whose partners had either low or high levels of prior programming experience.

摘要

结对编程是计算机科学中协作学习的一种形式，涉及两个学生一起从事编码项目。先前的研究已经从这种实践中识别出大部分积极的成果，例如课程等级和所产生代码的质量。结对编程还可以促进互动，改善女性和有色学生的气候，从而减少成就和毅力方面的公平性差距。但是，现有的研究结果不一致，这可能反映了研究设计的局限性和/或以理想方式实施结对编程面临的挑战。本研究试图通过一项集群随机试验，在三个不同的计算机科学入门课程的96个实验室部分对1,530名大学生进行集群随机试验，以提供严格的证据。在完整样本中，配对编程实际上与所有结果无关。但是，结对编程实际上导致白人学生的学习成绩较差，包括入门课程中的成绩，尝试或完成后续的计算机科学课程以及计算机科学的主修或辅修课程。这些负面影响通常是由白人学生驱动的，他们的伙伴在以前的编程经验上或高或低。