Investigating the correlation between prior programming experience and cyclomatic code complexity in student software projects
Collaboration in Computer Science Education
B. Machado Gonzaga Barroso (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)
M.A. Steenbergen – Mentor (TU Delft - Web Information Systems)
E.A. Aivaloglou – Mentor (TU Delft - Web Information Systems)
Mitchell Olsthoorn – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Software Engineering)
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Abstract
Cyclomatic complexity often serves as a proxy for code quality. While it has been previously studied within education, its relationship with prior programming experience remains unclear. This study analyzed the correlation between different experience metrics, including total years of programming experience, years of experience in industry and in academia, and cyclomatic complexity in student projects. A thematic analysis of task difficulty further contextualized the findings. Results indicated mostly no significant correlations between prior experience and complexity metrics, with only two significant correlations found. While total years of experience and experience in industry showed to be negatively correlated, experience gained in academia showed no consistent findings. The findings suggest that experience alone does not explain complexity scores, indicating that when used as an evaluation method in collaborative projects the results may be influenced by contextual factors such as project settings and task types