Factors related to the difficulty of learning to program in Java--an empirical study of non-novice programmers

Abstract Due to its relative newness and popularity, Java is being taught to numerous non-novice programmers both in industry and in academia. Claims have been made that certain background characteristics of programmers relate to ease in learning Java. In this study, background information of 135 non-novice programmers was obtained, together with data relating to their difficulty of learning several different features of Java. Results of this study could be used by software project managers contemplating the use of Java, and by academicians involved in curricular planning.