"Sometimes You Just Gotta Risk It for the Biscuit": A Portrait of Student Risk-Taking
Juho Leinonen, Paul Denny

TL;DR
This study investigates student risk-taking in computing education through a hypothetical scenario, revealing that framing influences decisions, students are more risk-prone than professionals, and enjoyment correlates with risk propensity.
Contribution
It provides empirical insights into student risk behavior in computing, replicating prior work with a focus on students and identifying key influencing factors.
Findings
Loss framing increases risky choices among students.
Students are more risk-prone than professional software engineers.
Enjoyment of programming correlates with increased risk-taking.
Abstract
Understanding how individuals make decisions involving risk is a fundamental aspect of behavioral research. Despite the ubiquity of risk in various aspects of life, limited empirical work has explored student risk-taking behavior in computing education. This study aims to partially replicate prior research on risk-taking behavior in software engineers while focusing on students, shedding light on the factors that affect their risk-taking choices. In our work, students were presented with a hypothetical scenario related to meeting a course project deadline, where they had to choose between a risky option and a safer alternative. We examined several factors that might influence these choices, including the framing of the decision (as a potential gain or loss), students' enjoyment of programming, perceived difficulty of programming, and their performance in the course. Our findings reveal…
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Taxonomy
TopicsDiverse Educational Innovations Studies · Youth Development and Social Support · Communication in Education and Healthcare
