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'Learning to code in a virtual world': A Preliminary Comparative Analysis of Discourse and Learning in Two Online Programming Communities

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Subhasree SenguptaAuthors Info & Claims

CSCW '20 Companion: Companion Publication of the 2020 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing

Pages 389 - 394

https://doi.org/10.1145/3406865.3418319

Published: 17 October 2020 Publication History

Abstract

Software programming is increasingly becoming a community-driven effort, with online discussion channels becoming vital resources for learning and knowledge sharing. This study explores differences in the discourse patterns of two popular online programming communities (Stack Overflow and r/Askprogramming) to provide preliminary insights into the type of learning practices these collectives support and scaffold. A three-step content analysis framework that investigates a sample of 8639 and 6126 contributions from Stack Overflow and r/Askprogramming respectively is presented. Preliminary results indicate that differences emerge in the scope of topics and the nature of responses the communities provide. While Stack Overflow is more task-specific, r/Askprogramming supports a greater sense of bonding and camaraderie among community members in addition to task-specific discussions. These results provide insights into the type of practices these communities support, which can be essential in considering how online communities that support learning activities should be designed.

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Cited By

Burtch GLee DChen Z(2024)Generative AI Degrades Online CommunitiesCommunications of the ACM10.1145/362473267:3(40-42)Online publication date: 22-Feb-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3624732
Burtch GLee DChen Z(2024)The consequences of generative AI for online knowledge communitiesScientific Reports10.1038/s41598-024-61221-014:1Online publication date: 6-May-2024
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-61221-0
Antelmi ACordasco GDe Vinco DSpagnuolo C(2023)The Age of Snippet Programming: Toward Understanding Developer Communities in Stack Overflow and RedditCompanion Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference 202310.1145/3543873.3587673(1218-1224)Online publication date: 30-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3543873.3587673

Index Terms

'Learning to code in a virtual world': A Preliminary Comparative Analysis of Discourse and Learning in Two Online Programming Communities
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Collaborative and social computing
    1. Collaborative and social computing theory, concepts and paradigms
      1. Computer supported cooperative work
      2. Social content sharing
  2. Human computer interaction (HCI)
    1. Empirical studies in HCI
    2. HCI design and evaluation methods
      1. User studies

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cover image ACM Conferences

CSCW '20 Companion: Companion Publication of the 2020 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing

October 2020

559 pages

ISBN:9781450380591

DOI:10.1145/3406865

General Chairs:
Matthew Bietz
University of California, Irvine
,
Andrea Wiggins

Copyright © 2020 Owner/Author.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the Owner/Author.

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SIGCHI: ACM Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction

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Published: 17 October 2020

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CSCW '20: Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing

October 17 - 21, 2020

Virtual Event, USA

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Overall Acceptance Rate 2,235 of 8,521 submissions, 26%

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Cited By

Burtch GLee DChen Z(2024)Generative AI Degrades Online CommunitiesCommunications of the ACM10.1145/362473267:3(40-42)Online publication date: 22-Feb-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3624732
Burtch GLee DChen Z(2024)The consequences of generative AI for online knowledge communitiesScientific Reports10.1038/s41598-024-61221-014:1Online publication date: 6-May-2024
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-61221-0
Antelmi ACordasco GDe Vinco DSpagnuolo C(2023)The Age of Snippet Programming: Toward Understanding Developer Communities in Stack Overflow and RedditCompanion Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference 202310.1145/3543873.3587673(1218-1224)Online publication date: 30-Apr-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3543873.3587673

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