The Effect of Programming Languages on Students’ Debugging Time: A Comparative Study of Python, Java, and C++
Debugging is an essential part of programming which is typically included in the education process and requires logical thinking and problem-solving skills. However, students sometimes complain that they have difficulty with situations, and these problems depend on the programming language they use. This research focused on correcting the effect of Python, Java, and C++ on the students' debug time and their opinion about it.
By using a quantitative experimental-comparative research design, twenty college students, who were programming-related course majors, were provided with a series of standardized debugging tasks containing both syntax and logic errors. The time allocated to solving each error and the students’ opinions were documented through the implementation of the exercises and a survey questionnaire.
The findings revealed that programming in Python took less time on average to find the source of the bug (12.4 minutes), and hence, it was considered the easiest language due to its simple syntax and readable style of writing. Java came second offering an average level of difficulty while C++ was given the longest debugging time (26.3 minutes) because of its complicated syntax and memory management. One-Way ANOVA and Tukey’s HSD statistical tests were used to compare the debugging performance for the three languages and they showed significant differences between them.
The research shows that how the students select the programming languages has a very strong impact on their debugging efficiency. To increase students' motivation and success, Python can be used as a first language, but C++ can be kept for students who are technically advanced and need more precision.
Keywords: Debugging, Programming Languages, Python, Java, C++, Programming Education