Abstract

Test-driven development (TDD) is an agile software development strategy that addresses both design and testing. This paper describes a controlled experiment that examines the effects of TDD on internal software design quality. The experiment was conducted with undergraduate students in a software engineering course. Students in three groups completed semester-long programming projects using either an iterative Test-First (TDD), iterative Test-Last, or linear Test-Last approach. Results from this study indicate that TDD can be an effective software design approach improving both code-centric aspects such as object decomposition, test coverage, and external quality, and developer-centric aspects including productivity and confidence. In addition, iterative development approaches that include automated testing demonstrated benefits over a more traditional linear approach with manual tests. This study demonstrates the viability of teaching TDD with minimal effort in the context of a relatively traditional development approach. Potential dangers with TDD are identified regarding programmer motivation and discipline. Pedagogical implications and instructional techniques which may foster TDD adoption will also be referenced.

Disciplines

Computer Sciences

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URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/csse_fac/29