Motives for Participation in Open-Source Software Projects: A Survey among R Package Authors

Mair, Patrick and Hofmann, Eva ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7934-0128 and Gruber, Kathrin and Hatzinger, Reinhold and Zeileis, Achim and Hornik, Kurt ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4198-9911 (2014) Motives for Participation in Open-Source Software Projects: A Survey among R Package Authors. Research Report Series / Department of Statistics and Mathematics, 126. WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna.

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Abstract

One of the cornerstones of the R system for statistical computing is the multitude of contributed packages making an extremely broad range of statistical techniques and other quantitative methods freely available. This study investigates which factors are the crucial determinants responsible for the participation of the package authors in the R project. For this purpose a survey was conducted among R package authors, collecting data on different types of participation in the R project, three psychometric scales (hybrid forms of motivation, work design characteristics, and values), as well as various specie-demographic factors. These data are analyzed using item response theory and generalized linear models, showing that the most important determinants for participation are a hybrid form of motivation and the knowledge characteristics of the work design. Other factors are found to have less impact or influence only specific aspects of participation. (authors' abstract)

Item Type:	Paper
Keywords:	R Project for Statistical Computing / open-source software / CRAN / IRT / SIMEX / R, Programm / Programmierung / Softwareentwicklung / Softwareprojekt / Motivation / Motivforschung
Classification Codes:	RVK ST 250, QR 770, SR 870
Divisions:	Departments > Finance, Accounting and Statistics > Statistics and Mathematics
Depositing User:	Josef Leydold
Date Deposited:	05 May 2014 07:23
Last Modified:	07 Nov 2019 15:10
URI:	https://epub.wu.ac.at/id/eprint/4135

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