What Malaysian Software Students Think about Testing?

TL;DR

This study explores Malaysian software students' perceptions of testing careers, revealing generally positive attitudes and identifying key pros and cons influencing their career choices.

Contribution

It provides new insights into Malaysian students' perceptions of software testing, highlighting social role aspects and soft skills importance.

Findings

Students perceive testing as a social role with soft skills emphasis.

Malaysian students have more positive attitudes towards testing than peers elsewhere.

Identified 7 pros and 9 cons influencing testing career decisions.

Abstract

Software testing is one of the crucial supporting processes of software life cycle. Unfortunately for the software industry, the role is stigmatized, partly due to misperception and partly due to treatment of the role in the software industry. The present study aims to analyse this situation to explore what inhibit an individual from taking up a software testing career. In order to investigate this issue, we surveyed 82 senior students taking a degree in information technology, information and communication technology, and computer science at two Malaysian universities. The subjects were asked the PROs and CONs of taking up a career in software testing and what were the chances that they would do so. The study identified 7 main PROs and 9 main CONSs for starting a testing career, and indicated that the role of software tester has been perceived as a social role, with more soft skills connotations than technical implications. The results also show that Malaysian students have a more positive attitude towards software testing than their counterparts where similar investigations have been carried out.