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There is an increased push for integrating computer science (CS) into K-12 classrooms across the U.S. However, there are also significant CS equity issues in K-12, higher education, and the workforce. This study explored the gender gap in CS and efforts to broaden female participation in computing. I employed an ethnographic case study design to explore a school where female participation was higher than the state average. In order to explore what may have contributed to these higher female participation numbers, I spent three months conducting observations, interviews, personal reflections, and collecting student reflection data.
Based on the data generated during the study, I found three levels of impact that appeared to be beneficial for broadening participation: practices that supported teachers; practices that supported students; and practices that supported the overall CS culture. For teachers, receiving support from administration by having the opportunity to coteach, and receiving recruitment support from counselors both appeared to be beneficial. For students, receiving personalized learning experiences, developing a growth mindset, engaging in problem-solving and creative experiences, and participating in afterschool clubs all appeared to be beneficial for broadening participation. Finally, for the CS culture, incorporating female role-models and designing a more welcoming classroom space appeared to be beneficial for broadening participation. Overall, gender-based stereotypes did not appear to be present in the FVHS CS community, potentially as a result of these strategies.
However, while gender-based stereotypes did not emerge, nerd-genius stereotypes were common. Teachers tended to focus on the nerd side of nerd-genius stereotypes, while students tended to focus on the genius side. Despite this focus on nerd-genius stereotypes, students also commonly held the perception that a computer scientist could be any type of person, suggesting that for this specific context, stereotypes may be moving in a positive direction. Overall, teachers and schools that are interested in broadening participation might consider including the strategies that were seen here as being potentially beneficial for broadening female participation. |
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