Exploring the Untapped: Student Perceptions and Participation in OSS

Open Source Software (OSS) projects offer valuable opportunities to train the next generation of software engineers while benefiting projects and society as a whole. While research has extensively explored student participation in OSS and its use in software engineering education, student participation in OSS is still low, and the perspectives of students who have never contributed remain under-explored. This study aims to investigate the relationship between students’ interest in contributing to OSS and their perceptions of barriers and motivational factors. We developed a theoretical model to understand the relationship between students’ perceptions of OSS and their interest in contributing. We then surveyed students majoring in computer science and related fields (N=241). Using structural equation modeling techniques, we tested the model and found that intrinsic and internalized extrinsic motivations are positively associated with interest in contributing to OSS projects, while the impact of extrinsic motivation varies by gender. Comparatively, we found no significant relationship between barriers and interest in contributing. Students suggested several ways to make projects more attractive, including increasing awareness of the importance of OSS. Our findings can help communities better prepare to integrate students and encourage educators to enhance interest in OSS by linking participation to specific motivational factors.