Journal article
Anuradha Madugalla, Tanjila Kanij, Rashina Hoda, Dulaji Hidellaarachchi, Aastha Pant, Samia Ferdousi, John Grundy
2024
2024
Semantic Scholar
ArXiv
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Cite
APA
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Madugalla, A., Kanij, T., Hoda, R., Hidellaarachchi, D., Pant, A., Ferdousi, S., & Grundy, J. (2024). Challenges, Adaptations, and Fringe Benefits of Conducting Software Engineering Research with Human Participants during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Chicago/Turabian
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Madugalla, Anuradha, Tanjila Kanij, Rashina Hoda, Dulaji Hidellaarachchi, Aastha Pant, Samia Ferdousi, and John Grundy. “Challenges, Adaptations, and Fringe Benefits of Conducting Software Engineering Research with Human Participants during the COVID-19 Pandemic” (2024).
MLA
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Madugalla, Anuradha, et al. Challenges, Adaptations, and Fringe Benefits of Conducting Software Engineering Research with Human Participants during the COVID-19 Pandemic. 2024.
BibTeX Click to copy
@article{anuradha2024a,
title = {Challenges, Adaptations, and Fringe Benefits of Conducting Software Engineering Research with Human Participants during the COVID-19 Pandemic},
year = {2024},
author = {Madugalla, Anuradha and Kanij, Tanjila and Hoda, Rashina and Hidellaarachchi, Dulaji and Pant, Aastha and Ferdousi, Samia and Grundy, John}
}
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we live, work and the way we conduct research. With the restrictions of lockdowns and social distancing, various impacts were experienced by many software engineering researchers, especially whose studies depend on human participants. We conducted a mixed methods study to understand the extent of this impact. Through a detailed survey with 89 software engineering researchers working with human participants around the world and a further nine follow-up interviews, we identified the key challenges faced, the adaptations made, and the surprising fringe benefits of conducting research involving human participants during the pandemic. Our findings also revealed that in retrospect, many researchers did not wish to revert to the old ways of conducting human-oriented research. Based on our analysis and insights, we share recommendations on how to conduct remote studies with human participants effectively in an increasingly hybrid world when face-to-face engagement is not possible or where remote participation is preferred.
