Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1239-1268 |
| Number of pages | 30 |
| Journal | Software Quality Journal |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Early online date | 11 Aug 2016 |
| Publication status | Published - Dec 2017 |
Abstract
Previous research found that inexperienced software engineers may tend to view automatic testing as a waste of time and as an activity completely separate from programming. This could have a negative impact on their later careers and could be a sign that improvements in software engineering education are needed when it comes to testing. At the same time, this stance could negatively influence the perception that practitioners have of recent university graduates. To explore this issue, we conducted a qualitative study and surveyed 170 and interviewed 22 practitioners about their experiences with recent graduates, focusing on software testing skills. We find that practitioners do recognize a skill gap between university graduates and industry expectations and that this perception could be engrained deeply enough already to influence hiring practices. Practitioners use different and at times costly strategies to alleviate this skill gap, such as training and mentoring efforts. We validated core findings in a survey with 698 professional software developers. Our qualitative insights can help industry, research, and educational institutions guide in-depth studies that explore the severity of the effects we have found. The coping strategies we have found can provide valuable starting points that can inform changes in how we educate the software engineers of the future.
Keywords
- Automated testing, Newcomers, Onboarding, Required skills, Software developer
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Computer Science(all)
- Software
- Engineering(all)
- Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
Cite this
- Standard
- Harvard
- Apa
- Vancouver
- BibTeX
- RIS
In: Software Quality Journal, Vol. 25, No. 4, 12.2017, p. 1239-1268.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Onboarding inexperienced developers
T2 - struggles and perceptions regarding automated testing
AU - Pham, Raphael
AU - Kiesling, Stephan
AU - Singer, Leif
AU - Schneider, Kurt
N1 - Funding Information: We would like to acknowledge the research team at I-LEAD Institute, particularly Ms. Veronica Serret for the coordination of the material reviewed, and Ms. Mona Zahir, for typesetting the narrative of this article. Funding: We also acknowledge funding from Research to End Healthcare Disparities Corp to support the editorial support of
PY - 2017/12
Y1 - 2017/12
N2 - Previous research found that inexperienced software engineers may tend to view automatic testing as a waste of time and as an activity completely separate from programming. This could have a negative impact on their later careers and could be a sign that improvements in software engineering education are needed when it comes to testing. At the same time, this stance could negatively influence the perception that practitioners have of recent university graduates. To explore this issue, we conducted a qualitative study and surveyed 170 and interviewed 22 practitioners about their experiences with recent graduates, focusing on software testing skills. We find that practitioners do recognize a skill gap between university graduates and industry expectations and that this perception could be engrained deeply enough already to influence hiring practices. Practitioners use different and at times costly strategies to alleviate this skill gap, such as training and mentoring efforts. We validated core findings in a survey with 698 professional software developers. Our qualitative insights can help industry, research, and educational institutions guide in-depth studies that explore the severity of the effects we have found. The coping strategies we have found can provide valuable starting points that can inform changes in how we educate the software engineers of the future.
AB - Previous research found that inexperienced software engineers may tend to view automatic testing as a waste of time and as an activity completely separate from programming. This could have a negative impact on their later careers and could be a sign that improvements in software engineering education are needed when it comes to testing. At the same time, this stance could negatively influence the perception that practitioners have of recent university graduates. To explore this issue, we conducted a qualitative study and surveyed 170 and interviewed 22 practitioners about their experiences with recent graduates, focusing on software testing skills. We find that practitioners do recognize a skill gap between university graduates and industry expectations and that this perception could be engrained deeply enough already to influence hiring practices. Practitioners use different and at times costly strategies to alleviate this skill gap, such as training and mentoring efforts. We validated core findings in a survey with 698 professional software developers. Our qualitative insights can help industry, research, and educational institutions guide in-depth studies that explore the severity of the effects we have found. The coping strategies we have found can provide valuable starting points that can inform changes in how we educate the software engineers of the future.
KW - Automated testing
KW - Newcomers
KW - Onboarding
KW - Required skills
KW - Software developer
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84981488745&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11219-016-9333-7
DO - 10.1007/s11219-016-9333-7
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84981488745
VL - 25
SP - 1239
EP - 1268
JO - Software Quality Journal
JF - Software Quality Journal
SN - 0963-9314
IS - 4
ER -