This thesis examines integration testing of object-oriented software. The process of integrating and testing procedural programs is reviewed as foundation for testing object-oriented software. The complexity of object-oriented software is examined. The relationship of integration testing and the software development life cycle is presented. Scenarios are discussed which account for the introduction of defects into the software. The Unified Modeling Language (UML) is chosen for representing pre-implementation and post-implementation models of the software. A demonstration of the technique of using post-implementation models representing the logical and physical views as an aid in integration and system testing of the software is presented. The use of UML diagrams developed from the software is suggested as a technique for integration testing of object-oriented software. The need for automating the data collection and model building is recognized. The technique is integrated into the Revised Spiral Model for Object-Oriented Software Development developed by du Plessis and van der Walt. / Computing / D.Phil. (Computer Science)

O ensino do modelo orientado a objetos tornou-se uma prática muito comum na introdução dos cursos de computação e as dificuldades no processo de ensinoaprendizagem são bem conhecidas. Grande parte dos estudantes apresenta dificuldades em assimilar os conceitos e abstrações envolvidas neste paradigma. Este trabalho descreve o desenvolvimento, a implementação e testes de uma ferramenta para apoiar o processo de ensino-aprendizagem do modelo orientado a objetos, durante a construção de Diagramas de Classe. Com a ferramenta desenvolvida, foram coletados dados durante a construção de Diagramas de Classe UML, em experimentos realizados com alunos de uma Universidade situada na cidade de Curitiba. A ferramenta desenvolvida permitiu revelar comportamentos dos alunos durante a construção dos diagramas de classes. Os resultados demonstram que as intervenções realizadas por alunos em itens do Diagrama de Classes, como atributos, métodos e associações, durante a criação do mesmo, influenciam diretamente no conceito obtido. Além disso, a ferramenta oferece informações específicas sobre cada aluno, que podem ser utilizadas pelo professor para incentivar cada um a estudar determinados temas, a fim de melhorar o desempenho dos mesmos no entendimento do modelo orientado a objetos e na criação de Diagramas de Classes. A ferramenta para o apoio ao ensino-aprendizagem do modelo orientado a objetos durante a construção do Diagrama de Classes fornece dados negligenciados pelas ferramentas de construção de diagramas, podendo ser um importante método para aprimorar o processo de ensino-aprendizagem do modelo orientado a objetos. / The teaching of the object-oriented model has become a very common practice in the introduction of computer courses and difficulties in the teaching-learning process are well known. Most of the students present difficulties in assimilating the concepts and abstractions involved in this paradigm. This study describes the development, implementation and testing of a tool to support the teaching-learning process of the object-oriented model during the construction of Class Diagrams. With the tool developed, data were collected during the construction of UML Class Diagrams, in experiments carried out with students of a University located in the city of Curitiba. The developed tool allowed to reveal the behaviors of the students during the construction of the class diagrams. The results show that the interventions made by students in items of the Class Diagram, such as attributes, methods and associations, during the creation of the same, directly influence the concept obtained. In addition, the tool offers specific information about each student that can be used by the teacher to encourage each one to study certain themes in order to improve their performance in understanding the object-oriented model and creating Class Diagrams. The teaching-learning tool of the object-oriented model during the construction of the Class Diagram provides data neglected by the diagrams-building tools, and can be an important method to improve the teaching-learning process of the model oriented to Objects.