Educational value of Systematic Mapping Studies: A replication study.

Abstract

Contribution: The goal of this study is to validate the results of a prior study on the educational value of systematic mapping studies (SMS) and evaluate the possibility of generalizing those results to similar contexts. Background: since the inception of the Evidence Based Software Engineering (EBSE) paradigm in 2004, few studies have aimed at evaluating their impact in the academic field, and the educational values that SMS can offer to the students. In 2010, three renowned researchers presented an article on this subject at ICSE'10. The study made interesting contributions. We believe that, after 8 years, a replication of that study can be useful to assess the original findings and to guide future educational interventions. Research Questions: What educational value does a SMS provide? Methodology: a replication of a multi-case holistic study. Findings: This replication confirms all but two of the results from the original work. The differences may be due to slight variations in the context. The experience of undertaking an SMS provided the students with both research skills and a broad understanding of a research area. We encourage other researchers to replicate this study, to gain further insights into the educational value of this method.