Deliberate Practice in Programming: How is it carried out by programmers?

Abstract

This work in progress study examines through which activities programmers perform deliberate practice to improve their own skills in coding and programming. For this reason, a qualitative questionnaire was developed and conducted with a sample of 22 participants. The results indicate that programmers perform formal and informal forms of training and learning. Typically, a classical programming training in the context of a university course or for work-related reasons is a first step in the acquisition of expertise. Building on these basic skills, non-formal and informal learning activities are carried out by the learners. Especially the social interaction and the collaborative work with other programmers is of great importance in this context. The activities mentioned by the test persons fulfil the characteristics of deliberate practice and will be examined more closely in a further study.