Confirming the influence of educational background in pair-design knowledge through experiments

Abstract

The sharing of tacit knowledge is a strategic factor for the success of software process, from a number of perspectives: training, project assimilation, and reducing noise in knowledge transfer. Pair programming is supposed to be a practice suitable for this purpose. Unfortunately, the building of tacit knowledge is determined by factors that are difficult to isolate and capture because they concern personal attitude and capability. Thus, we have focused on the possible causes forming the individual ability, that can be isolated and studied, such as the individual education background. We have applied the practice of working in pairs to the design phase. We have made an experiment and a replica in academic environment, in order to understand the relationship between the building of knowledge through the practice and the individual background. In this paper we discuss the replica and compare the results with the first experiment's ones.