Teaching Research Design in Software Engineering

TL;DR

This paper emphasizes teaching foundational research design skills in empirical software engineering to help researchers and students navigate the complexities of evolving technologies and produce rigorous, evidence-based studies.

Contribution

It introduces a structured approach to teaching research design in SE, focusing on defining investigation scope, research questions, and methodology selection.

Findings

Enhanced understanding of research design principles for SE students

Improved ability to formulate relevant research questions

Better preparedness for conducting empirical studies

Abstract

In the dynamic field of Software Engineering (SE), where practice is constantly evolving and adapting to new technologies, conducting research is a daunting quest. This poses a challenge for researchers: how to stay relevant and effective in their studies? Empirical Software Engineering (ESE) has emerged as a contending force aiming to critically evaluate and provide knowledge that informs practice in adopting new technologies. Empirical research requires a rigorous process of collecting and analyzing data to obtain evidence-based findings. Challenges to this process are numerous, and many researchers, novice and experienced, found difficulties due to many complexities involved in designing their research. The core of this chapter is to teach foundational skills in research design, essential for educating software engineers and researchers in ESE. It focuses on developing a well-structured research design, which includes defining a clear area of investigation, formulating relevant research questions, and choosing appropriate methodologies. While the primary focus is on research design, this chapter also covers aspects of research scoping and selecting research methods. This approach prepares students to handle the complexities of the ever-changing technological landscape in SE, making it a critical component of their educational curriculum.