"You mean we have to work together!?!": a study of the formation and interaction of programming teams in a college course setting

We explored how software development teams form and interact in a computer science college course setting and what an instructor can do to enhance effective teamwork. The experiences of computer science college course's teams are compared and contrasted to the theory of Bruce Tuckman's stages of small group development model, which he characterized as forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning. Participants repeatedly self-assessed their enthusiasm and skill levels over time using a questionnaire by agreeing or disagreeing to statements utilizing a five-point Likert scale. The data shows patterns similar to that of Tuckman's model. Since most people find his model easy to understand, it may provide an effective tool to teach teamwork and monitor team development. Indicators for which instructors or students can watch to identify a team that is struggling are provided.

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