Towards better code snippets: Exploring how code snippet recall differs with programming experience

Programmers of all experience levels attempt to leverage code snippets with varying success, often as reminders or to learn new skills. To date, little work has explored the specific elements within code snippets that are challenging for novices. Comparing how novices and experts recall code snippets may expose what code elements programmers focus on and inform new approaches for improving examples for inexperienced programmers. We conducted a study, inspired by past novice-expert studies, in which we asked everyday, occasional, and non-programmers to study and then recall code snippets. The key distinctions and similarities in the types and locations of recalled tokens provide insight for a set of recommendations that could improve the presentation of code snippets.