Bringing Realist Synthesis to CS Education Research

Abstract

The field of computer science education has seen an abundance of experience reports exploring various implementations of pedagogical approaches and tools. While these reports have provided valuable insights, there remains a need to understand how these interventions work and why they are successful in specific contexts. The realist synthesis literature review method, commonly used in fields with experience reports and implementation research, offers significant potential for computer science education research by identifying the causal mechanisms and theories by which an intervention works (or not). This poster presents the process of conducting a realist synthesis review and explores its strengths and challenges in the context of computer science education research. The poster aims to provide insights into how realist reviews can help researchers synthesize experience reports to develop more effective evidence-based practices and theories.