Work in progress: Investigating the effects of pair-programming on students´ behavior in an advanced computer programming course

In pair-programming, two developers share a computer to work together on developing one piece of code. To test Pair-programming effects on students´ behavior in a Middle Eastern society where some interaction restrictions are found, we devised an empirical study that was carried out over an entire academic year consists of two semesters. The study targeted two sections per semester of an advanced computer programming course. The students of one of the sections worked in pairs during the lab sessions, applying pair-programming rules and techniques. The other section had students who worked individually, as it is the norm in most programming labs. Video recordings were recorded throughout the lab sessions, and then studied and analyzed. The preliminary results revealed that pair-programming has the potential to increase the students´ confidence, their enjoyment of the course, and improved the course´s completion rate.