TY - JOUR
T1 - Bridging the Gap
T2 - Understanding Collaborative Practices of Underrepresented Student Developers in the GitHub Community
AU - Yan, Jiaqi
AU - Sun, Jingxiao
AU - Luo, Yiming
AU - Wang, Yihong
AU - Xiang, Nan
AU - Pan, Yushan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Computer Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com. This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights)
PY - 2026/7
Y1 - 2026/7
N2 - While studying student developers who engage with the GitHub community is not new, there is a notable lack of understanding regarding how underrepresented groups participate in collaborative efforts. Previous research has typically focused on the initial moment of joining summer programs rather than examining the entire contribution process over time. This approach limits insights into how motivations and challenges evolve during contributions and often centers on individual experiences rather than collaborative behaviors among multiple participants. Our 13-month online ethnographic study investigates the collaborative practices of student developers within an Apache open-source software (OSS) community on GitHub. We analyze their interactions using GitHub features and the impact of Apache guidelines. By exploring the achievements and challenges students face in coding activities, we provide actionable insights to bridge the gap between community expectations and student needs. Our findings highlight strategies such as targeted mentorship and improved communication to support sustained contributions, offering valuable guidance for fostering a more inclusive OSS ecosystem.
AB - While studying student developers who engage with the GitHub community is not new, there is a notable lack of understanding regarding how underrepresented groups participate in collaborative efforts. Previous research has typically focused on the initial moment of joining summer programs rather than examining the entire contribution process over time. This approach limits insights into how motivations and challenges evolve during contributions and often centers on individual experiences rather than collaborative behaviors among multiple participants. Our 13-month online ethnographic study investigates the collaborative practices of student developers within an Apache open-source software (OSS) community on GitHub. We analyze their interactions using GitHub features and the impact of Apache guidelines. By exploring the achievements and challenges students face in coding activities, we provide actionable insights to bridge the gap between community expectations and student needs. Our findings highlight strategies such as targeted mentorship and improved communication to support sustained contributions, offering valuable guidance for fostering a more inclusive OSS ecosystem.
UR - https://academic.oup.com/iwc/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/iwc/iwaf051/8283763?utm_source=advanceaccess&utm_campaign=iwc&utm_medium=email
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105042080741
U2 - 10.1093/iwc/iwaf051
DO - 10.1093/iwc/iwaf051
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105042080741
SN - 0953-5438
VL - 38
SP - 645
EP - 670
JO - Interacting with Computers
JF - Interacting with Computers
IS - 4
ER -