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computer industry Williams, 2010; Williams,2000; Gallis, Arisholm, and Dyba 2003.
Pair programming improves retention and confidence. Researchers observed pair programming
conducted with undergraduates. The pairing students demonstrated that pairing helped improve retention
Williams, 2010; Anderson Gegg-Harrison, 2012 and increase confidence Anderson Gegg-
Harrison, 2012; McDowell et al. 2006; Cockburn Williams 2000. Additionally, the students who paired
were more likely to succeed in programming courses than those who solo program Williams et al. 2003.
Pair programming leads to improved comprehension and learning. Researchers observed
that when pair programming is conducted with students, The pairing students improved their
understanding of the programming process Preston, 2005 and enhanced their learningparticularly on the
part of the novice developerSison,2008; Williams, 2010.
Pair programming leads to increased enjoyment of programming. Researchers observed
that pair programming conducted with sophomore- level undergraduates, created a laboratory
environment conducive to more active learning and are more enjoyable than traditional labs
Songsriwittaya, 2011. Additionally, the researchers found that the students working in pairs were more
satisfied and that pairing increased the happiness of developers Songsriwittaya, 2011; Phongpaibul
Boehm, 2006; Cockburn Williams, 2000; Gallis et al. 2003.
2.2 Disadvantage of pair programming Pair programming could lead to pair
incompatibility, unequal participation, and clashing ideas. Some students studied had concerns
about pair programming practice because of the following disadvantages: pair incompatibility
Srikanth, Williams, Wiebe, Miller, and Balik, 2004; Sison, 2008, clashing ideas Sison, 2008 between
pairs, and unequal participation by individuals in a pairSrikanth et al. 2004; Sison, 2008.
2.3 Concerns with pair programming Pair incompatibility could be a cause for
concern. Several studies have shown that matching pairs based on skill levels is beneficial for their
programs Melnik Maurer, 2002; Sanders, 2001. Students with a higher self-reported skill level have
the least satisfaction when they pair with students of lesser self-reported skill levels Thomas, Ratcliffe,
and Robertson, 2003. Researchers found that students program their best work when they are paired
with a partner of equal skill Thomas et al. 2003. However, some students indicated ideas about
matching pairs based on choosing a partner by themselves.
Switching position pair could be a cause for concern. Several studies have shown that matching
pairs based on skill levels is beneficial for their programs Melnik Maurer, 2002; Sanders, 2002.
The driver becomes the navigator and the navigator becomes the driver Phongpaibul Boehm, 2006.
When the students with different skills were switched it sometimes led to concerns about when students
with a higher skill level were the driver and students with a lesser skill level were the navigator. There is a
concern because students who have a lesser skill level cannot guide their partner.
2.4 Pair Programming within the context of Thai students
Culture is critical to human behavior. There is a complexity, accumulation of human learning that
can be transmitted within the context of the social environment in which we grow up Euamornvanich,
2011; Geert Geert, H. J., 2005 ; Deveney, 2005. Cultural differences can appear in the classroom
where there are students and teachers with different cultural backgrounds Geert Geert, H. J., 2005;
Deveney, 2005.
In teaching in the classroom, Thai students often use nonverbal communication and when they
were participant in activities, there is much head nodding and show of hands. They do not answer out
loud. May be this is the result of a high context culture. The focus on is saving face and disgraceful
fear which makes these things embarrassing
Rosenberg, 2004 Thai people often focus on saving face
Kremer, 2004. Most Thai people do not want to be corrected in front of others. Therefore, students do
not dare to answer because they worry their about wrong answer Euamornvanich, 2011.
There are research studies about models of instruction for learning styles that fit the characteristics of Thai
students. According to a study by Phanphuttarat 2009 the teachers should be provided with training
in appropriate learning styles of students. And students within the computer and information
technology field should use the learning style in Diverger which is the experiential learning style of
David Kolb. A study by Petchboonmee,
Phonak, Tiantong 2013 about Classification of David Kolbs
Experiential Learning Style with Decision Tree Technique found that the students within department
of computer information system were Divergers. Thus, this result can be used to develop activities that
are suitable for the learning style of learners to enhance the efficiency.
Diverger is one of the Kolbs learning styles. Learning with experience in practice, needs to be
observed and pondered. This learning style will require an observer and a thinker. These people
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should have an ability to summarize complex ideas well, and use creative thinking and imagination.
Students should enjoy participating, working with others and like to problem-solve with their group.
Students are generally influenced by other people and like to receive constructive feedback. They like to
learn via logical instruction or hands-on exploration with conversations that lead to discovery Kolb,
Rubin Osland , 1991.
The Diverger learning style supports learning fundamental computer programming and can be used
as learning styles that fit the characteristics of Thai students. The Diverger involves learning with a
group. One Diverger learns computer programming with a group; one is pair programming for knowledge,
thinking skills and problem solving, communicating skills effective, and accepting the opinions of others.
Those abilities are compatible with 21
st
century skills development Siripattarachai, 2013.
Several experimental and case studies conducted in the late
2008s and 2011s e.g., Phongpaibul Boehm,2006; Songsriwittaya, 2011
have suggested several benefits of pair programming, including higher software quality, greater developer
productivity, greater developer satisfaction, confidence, and enhanced learning particularly on
the part of the novice developer.
Monvorath Phongpaibul studied pair programming and software inspection at a Thammasat
University in Thailand. In part of the study, there were seven student teams that used pair programming.
They spent less time than the student teams that used software inspections in developing codes of similar
quality i.e., code passing the same number of test cases Phongpaibul Boehm, 2006.
More recently, experimental results of Alisa Songsriwittaya to study the effects of pair
programming pedagogy in an introductory programming course at a public university in
Thailand, found that there were indications that pair programming students performed better on lab
assignments and examinations than with solo programming Moreover, pair programming created a
laboratory environment conducive to more active learning and was more enjoyable than traditional labs.
Students and lab assistants reported labs to be more productive, enjoyable and less frustrating.
Songsriwittaya, 2011.
Previous studies above have shown research that pair programming can be applied to Thai
students learning styles on computer programming courses.
3. Discussion
