Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
4-2020
Abstract
Several open source software (OSS) projects participate in engagement programs like Summers of Code expecting to foster newcomers’ onboarding and receive contributions. However, scant empirical evidence identifies why students join such programs. In this paper, we study the well-established Google Summer of Code (GSoC), which is a 3-month OSS engagement program that offers stipends and mentorship to students willing to contribute to OSS projects. We combined a survey (of students and mentors) and interviews (of students) to understand what motivates students to enter GSoC. Our results show that students enter GSoC for an enriching experience, and not necessarily to become frequent contributors. Our data suggest that, while stipends are an important motivator, students participate for work experience and the ability to enhance their resumés. We also discuss practical implications for students, mentors, OSS projects, and Summer of Code programs.
Keywords
Google summer of code, Motivation, Newcomers, Open source software
Discipline
Software Engineering
Research Areas
Software and Cyber-Physical Systems
Publication
Journal of Systems and Software
Volume
162
First Page
1
Last Page
13
ISSN
0164-1212
Identifier
10.1016/j.jss.2019.110487
Publisher
Elsevier
Citation
SILVA, Jefferson O.; WIESE, Igor Scaliante; GERMÁN, Daniel M.; TREUDE, Christoph; GEROSA, Marco Aurélio; and STEINMACHER, Igor.
Google summer of code: Student motivations and contributions. (2020). Journal of Systems and Software. 162, 1-13.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sis_research/8791
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2019.110487