Pair Programming: A Teaching and Learning Tool for Defending Student’s Mental Energy

Pandarinathan Radhakrishnan1, Selvadurai Kanmani2, and Malaiyappan Nandhini3

1Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Pondicherry Central University, India

2Department of Information Technology, Pondicherry Engineering College, India

3Department of Computer Science, Pondicherry University, India

Abstract: Energy is an essential requirement to do any assigned tasks successfully. Mental Energy (ME) is the intellectual power for effective performance of cognitive tasks. This paper discusses the level of ME of the student learning to develop software program using Pair Programming (PP) and compares with the student learning to develop software program using traditional method. Subjective perception of ME was correlated with various elements of program correctness. PP and Solo Programmers (SP) were the two student groups took part in this experimental study. Both groups were asked to do programming assignments as Task 1 (T1) and Task 2 (T2) consecutively without break. Both tasks were given with equal level of software complexity and graded by an automatic tool. The grades were analyzed using non-parametric statistical methods. The results show that, PP group performed both T1 and T2 with high level of program's correctness, scoring almost equal marks in both the tasks. But, the performance of the SP group had more difference between T1 and T2 in program correctness and they scored comparatively less marks in T2 than in T1. The confirmatory analysis by means of questionnaire shown positive correlation over the hypothesis, which implies that, the ME level of PP students remained undiminished until T2, thus proving that PP methodology has more advantage than traditional method (SP) of learning software program.

Keywords: ME, extreme programming (XP), PP, solo programming, automatic grading.