Abstract

Error messages are a helpful tool for everyone interested in learning a programming language. Even after learning the language, novice and experienced programmers alike, have to interact with an error message one way or another. However, there is no single programming language that is usedacross all platforms and systems, so the programmers have to write programs in many different languages. If the programming languages have similar structures, working with a new language is relatively easy. We have asked the question, whether the same effect could be observed in case of error messages. We designed an online survey which was conducted internationally to measure whether the general experience of programmers from any programming language influences the programmer’s ability to correct python error message. The survey was aimed at students who have some experience with programming. We find in comparison with novices, on average the experiencedprogrammers find and fix an error in the code given the sameerror message with its corresponding code snippet. Additionally,we see correlations between the average of correctly fixed errorsand number of programming languages that the participants hadexperience with, as well as their chosen major and their age.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.