A coding scheme to support systematic analysis of software comprehension

Protocol analysis is a valuable tool for gaining qualitative data from observations of programmer behaviour during software maintenance. However, there are some major drawbacks with protocol analysis as it is currently practiced. Firstly, protocol analysis requires a daunting amount of effort at each stage of analysis. Secondly, the results from one protocol analysis are often difficult to compare with results from another. The paper describes a coding scheme, AFECS, designed to reduce the effort required to perform protocol analysis and to resolve the problem of noncomparable results. AFECS uses codes that consist of expandable and flexible segments. This allows AFECS to be tailored to the requirements of a variety of research studies, while maintaining a degree of consistency. Explicit segmentation also makes AFECS easy to use. An example shows AFECS' use and ability to adapt to diverse research questions.