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ICSE 2023
Sun 14 - Sat 20 May 2023 Melbourne, Australia
Thu 18 May 2023 14:45 - 15:00 at Meeting Room 101 - Diversity and inclusion in SE Chair(s): Xiao Liu

Diversity and inclusion are necessary prerequisites for shaping technological innovation that benefits society as a whole. A common indicator of diversity consideration is the representation of different social groups among software engineering (SE) researchers, developers, and students. However, this does not necessarily entail that diversity is considered in the SE research itself.

In our study, we examine how diversity is embedded in SE research, particularly research that involves participant studies. To this end, we have selected 79 research papers containing 105 participant studies spanning three years of ICSE technical tracks. Using a content analytical approach, we identified how SE researchers report the various diversity categories of their study participants and investigated: 1) the extent to which participants are described, 2) what diversity categories are commonly reported, and 3) the function diversity serves in the studies.

We identified 12 different diversity categories reported in SE participant studies. Our results demonstrate that even though most SE studies report on the diversity of participants, SE research often emphasizes professional diversity data, such as occupation and work experience, over social diversity data, such as gender or location of the participants. Furthermore, our results show that participant diversity is seldom analyzed or reflected upon when SE researchers discuss their study results, outcome or limitations.

To help researchers self-assess their study diversity awareness, we propose a diversity awareness model and guidelines that SE researchers can apply to their research. With this study, we hope to shed light on a new approach to tackling the diversity and inclusion crisis in the SE field.

Thu 18 May

Displayed time zone: Hobart change

13:45 - 15:15
Diversity and inclusion in SESEIS - Software Engineering in Society at Meeting Room 101
Chair(s): Xiao Liu School of Information Technology, Deakin University
13:45
15m
Paper
At the Margins: Marginalized Groups' Ethical Concerns about Software
SEIS - Software Engineering in Society
Lauren Olson Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Emitzá Guzmán Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Florian Kunneman Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Pre-print File Attached
14:00
15m
Paper
Do Users Act Equitably? Understanding User Bias Through a Large In-Person Study
SEIS - Software Engineering in Society
Yang Liu Rochester Institute of Technology, Heather Moses Rochester Institute of Technology, Mark Sternefeld Rochester Institute of Technology, Samuel Malachowsky Rochester Institute of Technology, Daniel Krutz Rochester Institute of Technology
14:15
15m
Paper
Developing Software for Diverse Socio-Economic End Users: Lessons Learned from A Case Study of Fisherfolk Communities in Bangladesh
SEIS - Software Engineering in Society
Tanjila Kanij Monash University, Misita Anwar Monash University, Gillian Oliver Monash University, Md Khalid Hossain Monash Universit
14:30
15m
Full-paper
Walking Down the Road to Independent Mobility: An Adaptive Route Training System for the Cognitively Impaired
SEIS - Software Engineering in Society
Konstantin Rink Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Tristan Gruschka Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Patrick Palsbröker Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Marcos Baez Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Dominic Becking Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Udo Seelmeyer Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Gudrun Dobslaw Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences, Patricia Stolz Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Arts
14:45
15m
Paper
Diversity Awareness in Software Engineering Participant Research
SEIS - Software Engineering in Society
Riya Dutta Concordia University, Diego Costa Concordia University, Canada, Emad Shihab Concordia Univeristy, Tanja Tajmel Concordia University
Pre-print
15:00
7m
Vision and Emerging Results
Harmful Terms in Computing: Towards Widespread Detection and Correction
SEIS - Software Engineering in Society
Hana Winchester Saint Ursula Academy, Alicia Boyd New York University, Brittany Johnson George Mason University