Welcome to the repository for our research paper, "Learning Programming in Informal Spaces: Using Emotion as a Lens to Understand Novice Struggles on r/learnprogramming."
This study investigates the emotional landscape of novice programmers learning through informal online social platforms. It aims to identify prevalent emotions, their causes, and explore how intelligent systems can be designed to provide affect-aware support.

This repository provides all scripts, datasets, and supplementary materials used in our study. It is structured to ensure clarity, reproducibility, and accessibility for researchers interested in similar works.

• /cluster/
  Contains scripts and outputs related to clustering methods used in the study:

  • dbscan.ipynb: Script for DBSCAN clustering of underlying causes of different emotions in user posts.
  • clusters.csv: A CSV file with 1500 posts, emotions, causes behind expressing those emotions, and their assigned clusters for analysis.

• /datasets/
  Includes datasets generated and annotated during the study:

  • emotions.csv: Dataset containing 1500 posts annotated with emotions and their underlying causes.
  • automated_support_system_responses.csv: Dataset containing 1500 posts annotated with possible support mechanisms and their categories.

• /documents/
  Contains documentation and guidelines for annotations:

  • emotion_instructions.pdf: Instructions for annotating emotions in posts.
  • automated_support_system_response_instructions.pdf: Instructions for annotating possible support mechanisms.