Can participation in a hackathon impact the motivation of software engineering students? A preliminary case study analysis
<|reference_start|>Can participation in a hackathon impact the motivation of software engineering students? A preliminary case study analysis: [Background] Hackathons are increasingly gaining prominence in Software Engineering (SE) education, lauded for their ability to elevate students' skill sets. [Objective] This paper investigates whether hackathons can impact the motivation of SE students. [Method] We conducted an evaluative case study assessing students' motivations before and after a hackathon, combining quantitative analysis using the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and qualitative coding of open-ended responses. [Results] Pre-hackathon findings reveal a diverse range of motivations with an overall acceptance, while post-hackathon responses highlight no statistically significant shift in participants' perceptions. Qualitative findings uncovered themes related to networking, team dynamics, and skill development. From a practical perspective, our findings highlight the potential of hackathons to impact participants' motivation. [Conclusion] While our study enhances the comprehension of hackathons as a motivational tool, it also underscores the need for further exploration of psychometric dimensions in SE educational research.<|reference_end|>
@article{araújo2024can,
    title={Can participation in a hackathon impact the motivation of software
  engineering students? A preliminary case study analysis},
    author={Allysson Allex Ara'ujo, Marcos Kalinowski, Maria Teresa Baldassarre},
    journal={arXiv preprint arXiv:2402.05339},
    year={2024},
    archivePrefix={arXiv},
    eprint={2402.05339},
    primaryClass={cs.SE}
}