A Systematic Literature Review on the Use of Software Testing and Programming with Novice Students

This Research Full Paper investigates the use of software testing in introductory programming courses (CS1 and/or CS2) as a supportive and facilitating technique for novice students, identifying adopted strategies and tools used. The literature commonly emphasizes problem-solving skills in programming education or strategies for intervening in educational practices. This paper conducts a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and aims to understand the impact of introducing tests on novice students' comprehension of programming problems. More research is needed to understand how to improve programming teaching materials and methodologies and how novice students absorb all of this. A study was conducted to answer the following research questions: (RQ1) How are tests being used to facilitate novice students' understanding of programming problems? Additionally, (RQ2) What strategies and tools are being adopted to incorporate software testing into teaching programming for beginner students? The responses highlighted the challenges faced in teaching CS1 and/or CS2, evidencing controlled experiments, alternative methods, and tools used. Finally, we critically analyzed the impact on this target audience and found through the research that there is no consensus on the software testing skills necessary to learn programming. Therefore, these skills were grouped as follows: (1) skills related to introducing software testing tools - consolidated or new - and (2) skills related to education with testing activities. By cross-referencing the information, improvements in student performance can be seen when software tests are integrated into the learning process. Introducing tests by customizing materials adopted in programming courses, activities, and evaluations can promote more effective learning for this group.