Improving Student Peer Code Review Using Gamification

Peer code review has been shown to have several benefits for students, including the development of both technical skills and soft skills. However, a lack of motivation has been identified as one of the barriers to successful peer code review in programming courses. Low motivation may result in students avoiding or delaying their peer review tasks, reducing the potential benefits. In this study, gamification is used to overcome this barrier. We focus on motivating two behaviors: increasing the number of reviews submitted by students, and encouraging students to submit those reviews early. We conduct a randomized controlled study (N = 178) that compares the behavior of a control group engaged in peer code review using an online tool, with a gamification group that uses a modified version of the tool that includes targeted game elements. The results show a statistically significant difference in the number of submitted reviews between the control and gamification groups. Furthermore, the majority of students in the gamification group report that the game elements motivate them. Based on our findings, the game elements and game mechanics seem to be a promising method to motivate students in online peer code review activities.

1. • RQ1. To what extent does gamification motivate students to submit reviews early? • RQ2: To what extent does gamification motivate students to submit a greater number of reviews? • RQ3: How do students perceive the use of the game elements in the peer code review tool? (@indriasari2021a, 81)

1. Despite the reported benefits of peer code review, there are some challenges and pitfalls that arise during the learning experience. A lack of motivation in students is one of the barriers to successful peer code review activities in programming courses [16]. High levels of engagement are necessary for students to produce useful feedback on the work of their peers [36, 41]. If students are poorly motivated they may delay working on the review tasks and submit minimal feedback at the last minute, reducing the potential benefits to themselves and others. (@indriasari2021a, 80)
   • Lack of motivation.