Understanding recurring quality problems and their impact on code sharing in block-based software

Techapalokul, Peeratham; Tilevich, Eli

doi:10.1109/vlhcc.2017.8103449

Cited by 35 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 19 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…challenging to produce correctly working programs, regardless of whether one writes code in Scratch or any other programming language. Often, code that works initially is written in a clumsy and confusing way (commonly referred to as code that smells, such as long scripts or duplicated code [9,19]). This causes bugs to be introduced later, when changing and extending the existing code.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Common Bugs in Scratch Programs

Frädrich

Obermüller

Körber

et al. 2020

Proceedings of the 2020 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bugs in Scratch programs can spoil the fun and inhibit learning success. Many common bugs are the result of recurring patterns of bad code. In this paper we present a collection of common code patterns that typically hint at bugs in Scratch programs, and the LitterBox tool which can automatically detect them. We empirically evaluate how frequently these patterns occur, and how severe their consequences usually are. While fixing bugs inevitably is part of learning, the possibility to identify the bugs automatically provides the potential to support learners. CCS CONCEPTS• Social and professional topics → Software engineering education; K-12 education; • Software and its engineering → Visual languages.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been established that certain code smells such as long methods or duplicated code are prevalent in Scratch programs [9,19]. Categories of code smells in Scratch are mostly derived by mapping smells from other programming languages [9] but also by defining new smells that exist only in block based languages [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Common Bugs in Scratch Programs

Frädrich

Obermüller

Körber

et al. 2020

Proceedings of the 2020 ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Remixing in Scratch has been the recipient of much attention and the idea of peer supported learning clearly has merit, but results have been mixed so far. Remixing has been shown to promote learning [7] but there is also a danger that if there is poor coding style or hidden bugs in a project, these might also propagate to remixed projects and contribute in learning bad programming practices, contrary to the goal of remixing [8]. In this study we build upon the results from prior studies on remixing in Scratch, and attempt to present a clearer picture through measuring the use of elementary patterns in remixes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the Use of Remixing in Scratch Projects Based on Repertoire, Lines of Code (LOC), and Elementary Patterns

Amanullah

Bell

2019

2019 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This Full Paper in the Research Category evaluates the use of remixing in Scratch. A feature of the Scratch programming environment is that it supports students to share their code and "remix" (modify) other students' code. Remixing in Scratch has garnered much attention by the research community as use of collaboration for learning was one of the main ideas behind Scratch. It can provide opportunities to read others' code, learn how features can be implemented using the Scratch language, and contribute to the program. It can also prevent students from engaging with the code if they copy an existing program that does what they are trying to do without needing modification. The literature shows mixed results regarding use of remixes in Scratch. We have investigated at a large scale what happens in practice by analysing thousands of student programs shared through the Scratch online repository. As well as replicating prior work on a larger scale to show the impact of remixing on learning programming skills through Lines of Code (LOC) and repertoire of block usage, we also measure the use of elementary patterns (common combinations of commands). We track the progress of each project through its remixes and compare the results between the root version and the final version.

show abstract

“…Programming with SCRATCH is usually learned in a self-directed way [1] or taught by instructors who often are not skilled programmers themselves. As a result, SCRATCH programs tend to have low code quality [2], which in turn has been found to negatively impact the pedagogical effectiveness [2], [3]. For example, Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Readability of Scratch Programs with Search-based Refactoring

Adler¹,

Gründinger²,

Körber³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Block-based programming languages like SCRATCH have become increasingly popular as introductory languages for novices. These languages are intended to be used with a "tinkering" approach which allows learners and teachers to quickly assemble working programs and games, but this often leads to low code quality. Such code can be hard to comprehend, changing it is error-prone, and learners may struggle and lose interest. The general solution to improve code quality is to refactor the code. However, SCRATCH lacks many of the common abstraction mechanisms used when refactoring programs written in higher programming languages. In order to improve SCRATCH code, we therefore propose a set of atomic code transformations to optimise readability by (1) rewriting control structures and (2) simplifying scripts using the inherently concurrent nature of SCRATCH programs. By automating these transformations it is possible to explore the space of possible variations of SCRATCH programs. In this paper, we describe a multi-objective search-based approach that determines sequences of code transformations which improve the readability of a given SCRATCH program and therefore form refactorings. Evaluation on a random sample of 1000 SCRATCH programs demonstrates that the generated refactorings reduce complexity and entropy in 70.4 % of the cases, and 354 projects are improved in at least one metric without making any other metric worse. The refactored programs can help both novices and their teachers to improve their code.

show abstract

Understanding recurring quality problems and their impact on code sharing in block-based software

Cited by 35 publications

References 19 publications

Common Bugs in Scratch Programs

Common Bugs in Scratch Programs

Evaluating the Use of Remixing in Scratch Projects Based on Repertoire, Lines of Code (LOC), and Elementary Patterns

Improving Readability of Scratch Programs with Search-based Refactoring

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About