Examining Turnover in Open Source Software Projects Using a Logistic Hierarchical Linear Modeling Approach

Developer turnover in open source software projects is a critical and insufficiently researched problem. Previous research has focused on understanding the developer motivations to contribute using either the individual developer perspective or the project perspective. In this exploratory study we argue that because the developers are embedded in projects it is imperative to include both perspectives. We analyze turnover in open source software projects by including both individual developer level factors, as well as project specific factors. Using the Logistic Hierarchical Linear Modeling approach allows us to empirically examine the factors influencing developer turnover and also how these factors differ among developers and projects.