Investigando a implementação de padrões de projeto por novatos com rastreamento ocular

Abstract

This research continues a previous study that investigated the impact of the Strategy pattern on code maintainability. Thus, it proposes an investigation in the domain of software development, focusing on the learning process of novice programmers regarding the application of the Strategy design pattern. The main objective is to understand how novice programmers behave when using design patterns, as this is an important topic in software engineering, challenging to teach, and often difficult for students an inexperienced developers to grasp. Initially, plugins for data collection using eye tracking were studied, allowing the observation of developers’ mental patterns and actions when implementing the Strategy design pattern. A pilot experimental study was conducted with eighteen Computer Science students. Data were collected through standardized questionnaires, eye tracking, screen recording, and code analysis, and subsequently examined using descriptive and non-parametric inferential statistical techniques. The results indicated that it is possible to observe and analyze developers’ mental patterns and actions during the implementation of the Strategy design pattern. Most participants faced challenges when using the Strategy pattern, particularly related to deleting code in the appropriate files, which resulted in incomplete tasks and longer execution times due to the complexity and number of files involved. In contrast, the implementations without the Strategy pattern were completed more quickly and successfully. Therefore, the importance of this study lies in the implications of using design patterns for inexperienced programmers and how these challenges impact teaching and the development of open-source software.