TÂNIA MARA DORS THE REFLECTIVE PRACTICE IN A SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT STUDIO Master´s degree dissertation submitted as a partial requirement for the Master´s Degree in Informatics in the Graduate Program in Informatics of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil. Curitiba 2019 ii TÂNIA MARA DORS THE REFLECTIVE PRACTICE IN A SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT STUDIO Master´s degree dissertation submitted for the Master´s Degree in Informatics in the Graduate Program in Informatics of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná, Brazil. Major concentration field: Computer Science Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Sheila Reinehr Co-supervisor: Prof. Dr Frederick Van Amstel Curitiba 2019 iii Curitiba, dia do mês do ano de xxxx. Assinatura do Autor Assinatura do Orientador FICHA CATALOGRÁFICA Dors, Tânia Mara Título da Dissertação/Tese / Iniciais seguidas dos sobrenome. -- Curitiba, ANO. Número de páginas p. Dissertação (Mestrado) – Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná. Curitiba. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Informática. 1. Palavra-chave01 2. Palavra-chave02 3. Palavra-cahve03. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Informática. II. t ou d. iv ACKNOWLEGENTS I would like to thank my supervisors, Prof. Sheila Reinehr and Prof. Frederick Van Amstel for their assistance and dedicated involvement throughout this process. Prof. Sheila Reinehr for your guidance, support, and understanding over the years, but also for showing me what it is to be an academic. Prof. Frederick Van Amstel for encouraging the studio investigation and for availability, helpfulness, and reflective chats on studio issues. I would also like to show gratitude to all the staff, particularly to Prof. Fabio Binder, and the students of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná Extension Course, which allow me to do a participant observation of their project development to this research. Finally, I would like to thank my son for the smiles, hugs, to be the patient and comprehensive when he was private from attention, in moments I had dedicated me in depth to the study. Also, to my family that gave me incentive and constant support, specially my mother that moved home from other city to take care of my son when I needed, bringing me tranquillity to dedicate and give focus. To my father that teaching me with his example that doesn´t matter the time, we always can reach our dreams, this thought makes me to pursuit and persevere in my goals. This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brazil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001. v “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” Confucius vi ABSTRACT Nowadays, the technology permeates nearly every aspect of our lives then it is usual to expect that the number, size, complexity, and application domains of developed software will continue to grow, as well as the problems with cost, timelines and quality of software products development. This scenario demands even more skilled software developers that blend technical and personal skills. Corporations are complaining about the lack of professional awareness and low levels of communication and teamwork skills in engineering undergraduates. For these reasons, software engineering educators have been discussing what kind of education, what methods or approaches are appropriate to address these demands and issues related to professional practice. Over the last two decades, educators have adopted new techniques, tools and approaches for practical learning, among them the studio-based learning using reflective practice, which has been used by some universities around the world, especially in architecture courses. Although very good results in these contexts have been reported there are few studies focusing on the use of such approach in the software development field. The objective of this study is to understand the reflective practice contribution to the practical learning of mobile application development in a particular software development studio program. Data were collected using ethnographic method through participant observation and from students´ written self-reflections, which were analyzed using Cycle Coding Method supported by Atlas.ti tool. As a result, it was possible to observe that the reflective practice promotes the process of emerging new ideas, helps to build a culture that is supportive of critique and contributes to practice and development of skills, as collaboration, verbal or written communication, commitment, interpersonal, adaptability, flexibility and teamwork. In addition, problem solving, decision-making, planning, project management, time management, scope management, managing of outsource development and new technical skills. The studio approach emphasizes the practical learning, supports the development of skills required for software engineering practice, and helps in developing new technical skills. Finally, studio seems to be an authentic environment of relationship between academic disciplines and real-world experiences, where students can practice and learn by practicing, thereby, it better prepares students for the real world. vii Keywords: Software Engineering Education, Computer Science Practical Learning, Software Practice, Software Engineering in Practice, Software Development Studio, Studio-based Learning, Studio Course, Reflective Practice. viii CONTENTS ACKNOWLEGENTS ............................................................................................................ IV ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... VI CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................ VIII LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................... XI LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................ XII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ............................................................ XV CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 1.1 RESEARCH OBJECTIVE .............................................................................................................3 1.2 RESEARCH PROCESS ...............................................................................................................3 1.3 DOCUMENT STRUCTURE ..........................................................................................................4 1.4 CONCLUSIONS ...........................................................................................................................5 CHAPTER 2 - LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................. 6 2.1 PRACTICAL LEARNING IN SOFTWARE ENGINEERING EDUCATION ..........................................6 2.2 REFLECTIVE PRACTICE .............................................................................................................9 2.3 ROOTS OF STUDIO ..................................................................................................................13 2.3.1 École des Beaux-Arts ........................................................................................ 14 2.3.2 Bauhaus .............................................................................................................. 15 2.4 DESIGN STUDIO ......................................................................................................................16 2.5 SOFTWARE STUDIO .................................................................................................................20 2.6 RELATED WORKS ....................................................................................................................24 2.7 CONCLUSIONS .........................................................................................................................30 CHAPTER 3 - RESEARCH STRUCTURE ..................................................................... 31 3.1 RESEARCH CLASSIFICATION ..................................................................................................31 3.2 RESEARCH METHOD ...............................................................................................................31 3.2.1 Ethnography ....................................................................................................... 31 3.2.2 Cycle Coding Method ........................................................................................ 34 3.3 RESEARCH CONTEXT ..............................................................................................................36 3.4 RESEARCH STRUCTURE .........................................................................................................36 3.4.1 Phase: Definitions and Planning ..................................................................... 37 ix 3.4.2 Phase: Execution ............................................................................................... 39 3.4.3 Phase: Data Analysis ........................................................................................ 39 3.5 CONCLUSIONS .........................................................................................................................39 CHAPTER 4 - RESEARCH EXECUTION ......................................................................